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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23990188">The Story of Golden Fish and Red Duck</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/poptod/pseuds/poptod'>poptod</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Night at the Museum (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ancient Egypt, Enemies to Lovers, Everyone is an idiot, F/M, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Idiots in Love, Love/Hate, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:40:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,280</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23990188</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/poptod/pseuds/poptod</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Your family hates his family, and his family hates yours. It’s only natural you hate him - it’s in your blood... right?<br/>(Gender Neutral)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ahkmenrah (Night at the Museum)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Story of Golden Fish and Red Duck</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first time doing an enemies to lovers trope! I have no idea what I'm doing :) but I've done it :) hope you like it! I did SO MUCH fucking research about names and other such things but, unfortunately, some of it had to be disregarded because otherwise it would've been too complicated to explain, and I thought I should probably give y'all a break from having to dissect what various words like Kemet and Uat-Ur mean. Also, this is one of the fics where Ahk and Kahmunrah have some other siblings.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was almost fortunate that the evening would commence in the way it did - that you and your family have to have dinner with your sworn enemy. Not that he was exactly <em>your</em> sworn enemy, no, it was mostly your father and the Pharaoh which, if anyone else knew of the existing rivalry between the two, could spell doom for both families. That was the exact reason they kept up a charade in front of the general populace, which created a facade of peace that was rather easily seen through. Several times you'd asked as to the reason or origin of the fight but each time, your father told you why it <em>still</em> existed, and why both families helped each other out while hating each other. You'd memorized the political gains that the Pharaoh gave, and in turn your father gave the Pharaoh; your family had money. A <em>lot</em> of it, and Pharaoh needed that money to remain both in power and to continue a peaceful, prosperous reign. In turn, to keep the status your family had, your father needed the Pharaoh to appoint him High Priest, thus the circle continued - your father funded the Pharaoh's various projects, the Pharaoh let him keep his status and job. It was probably a little hard to see why a dinner with a person you hated was a good thing, but your father loved showing off his riches and his 'beautiful children,' though neither you or your older siblings were very well-behaved usually.</p><p>It was one of the rare times both you and your siblings willingly behaved properly to the highest extent. Not because your father had a life-long feud with the Pharaoh, but because you and your siblings had a life-long feud with the Pharaoh's children. Maybe it was an inherited trait; maybe your families were destined to hate each other. Nonetheless, you had to look your best for the evening.</p><p>Servants came through the doors to your room, carrying various trinkets and cloths, pinning them perfectly against your body until you were a heavenly glow in your mirror. Red wasn't a commonly seen color, which was one of the reasons you were dressing yourself in it, gold string weaved into the flower patterns of the red shawl. It was nearly see-through, the sheer, soft fabric flowing from your shoulders to your waist. A skirt hung on your hips, dripping in an uneven pattern down to your feet, spinning easily when you did a turn.</p><p>"I still don't think the red was a good idea," your brother said, his arms crossed as he leaned on the frame of your door.</p><p>"I didn't ask your opinion. I asked for you to design it. That's your thing, isn't it?" You replied, quiet and thoughtful as you continued to admire yourself. <em>A headband might go well with this,</em> you thought to yourself, pushing your hair back from your face.</p><p>"But it's such a... <em>garish</em> color. Couldn't you go with something more common?"</p><p>"Again with that speech, I've heard it before," you said with a sigh, rolling your eyes. "Father tells me it almost every day."</p><p>It wasn't your fault - well, maybe it was - that your fashion sense didn't go with what was popular. You preferred darker colors, more vibrant and deathly than what was customary, something that'd go with your state of mind. Not that you were an especially depressing person, at least not more so than the average person, it was only that you weren't quite as into living as others. People were so interested in life, so interested in continuing it even past death, that no one had even spared a thought towards death being something different than life, which was exactly what you devoted your time to internally debating. There were several ideas that seemed likely, the first being that what followed death was exactly what everyone thought happened. The second was nothing - peace, nonexistence, the wiping of the conscious, which technically was already what people thought would happen to you if your heart weighed more than Ma'at's feather.</p><p>A few minutes later and your father called you downstairs, awkwardly complimenting you and your siblings. To your right stood Kesi, your sister, and beside her your brother, Teremun. You always stood on the end, the shortest and the youngest, and your name meaning ‘mouse’ certainly didn't help the teasing. Short might've meant beautiful, but your brother and sister found ways to taunt it, just as you and your sister could find ways to taunt Teremun, and you and Teremun could taunt Kesi.</p><p>"Did you have to go with red?" Your father asked you, sighing with worried eyes as he stood in front of you.</p><p>"Red is a nice color," you said in a small voice, not shrinking away but certainly not leaning in.</p><p>"... right. Whatever you want, little one. Eshe?" Your father called upon his wife, a bright smile crossing his face when she emerged from her dressing room in all white. "You look beautiful, dearest," he murmured in her ear as they embraced, hand in hand as he landed a kiss on her cheek. You look away from the affection, though you noticed your brother did nothing and your sister continued looking pointedly.</p><p>"I'm glad our parents have such a good relationship," she whispered to you, leaning closer so only you could hear.</p><p>"I'm sure you are."</p><p>A carriage awaited you outside, your parents filing in, followed clumsily by Teremun, Kesi, and then yourself. Once squished in, your father gave the go-ahead to move, and thus started the short ride to the palace.</p><p>Living near the palace had its' ups and downs, the positives being that there weren't any beggars and the streets were much cleaner, and the downsides being that the Pharaoh's family had a habit of being loud. <em>Very</em> loud. That night, however, the noise wasn't coming from just the family. Hordes of people stood at the gates of the palace, dancing and playing music on lyres and harps, the bold voices of hired singers belting in the spacious, white halls lined with paintings and carvings. Pillars bigger than your house kept the endless ceiling up, incense burning from hooks hanging off them. Smoke drifted up into the ceiling, intoxicating those standing in the room. Luckily for you and your familys' safety, there was a clear path that people created down the center of the hall. Out of the corner of your eye you could see several naked people doing a dance you couldn't identify, and by the time you had an idea of what it was, they were out of sight.</p><p>Your carriage continued down the massive hall till you came to the very back. The back of the hall was something special, something spectacular that you very rarely appreciated - you supposed you could appreciate it that night. Backlit by at least a dozen torches, a massive statue portraying the Pharaonic family sat in black stone, cast against the stark white of the alabaster hall. In front of it was the table you were to sit at, the real Pharaoh and his non-stone family already in their seats, smiling tight at the sight of Yafeu, your father.</p><p>"Good to see you, Yafeu," the Pharaoh said, barely smiling before his face returned to dour stone.</p><p>"You as well, sir," your father replied with a small bow, smiling at his tiny jab at the man. Yafeu was technically supposed to refer to him as <em>My King</em>, or something of that ilk, which always disgusted you - it was such an odd thing to call someone, if not incredibly personal.</p><p>You put away your own feelings on the subject, sitting beside the youngest child of the royal family with a curt smile. Khufu you didn't mind as much - he wasn't old enough to understand the anger, and he was a rather kind boy, sometimes even helpful. Beside him, however, sat your match, your <em>personal</em> opponent, the man you hated the most in the entire family. Just as your father was tied in with the Pharaoh, your elder brother was head to head with their eldest son, Kahmuh. Kesi, however angry she may have seemed to be against Khafra, actually had a little crush on him, which she told no one but you. Your feelings for Ahkmen, their third child, were entirely platonic hatred. He smirked at you, smug as he made a tiny wave in your direction. Glaring, you turned around, keeping him out of your sight.</p><p>"That's no way to greet an old friend," he said with a laugh, his smile only growing more pleased when you shot him a scathing scowl.</p><p>"Hardly, Gold fish," you retorted. Something about his face always threw you off; maybe he was too confident, or too flirty, but either way he didn't settle well with you. He showed off five too many times and ever since that point, you had always hated him. The nickname for him, 'Gold fish,' only came about due to the fact that he made his own nickname for you, one that only he called you, one that infuriated you. To others it might've seemed affectionate - Gold fish was a nice nickname, but not coming from your mouth. You spit it out, brow furrowed and arms crossed, white knuckles digging into the flesh of your arm.</p><p>"You'll come around, Ducky," he said, winking at you when you turned to gauge his expression.</p><p>"Can we <em>please</em> act civil for once?" You said, an almost pleading look on your face.</p><p>"For the ceremony," he agreed slowly, nodding as he turned towards the crowd at large. Your eyes followed his, and saw the dancing mob of people that had made their way into the palace.</p><p>"That's a lot of people," you mumbled, feeling very small and very large all at once.</p><p>"It's not more than there usually is," Khufu reminded you.</p><p>In the distant reaches of the hall, flames appeared, drifting in the dark and writhing mass. The crowd began to part, the center of the hall becoming clear even in the shadows the massive building cast. Down the middle came dancers, the beginnings of a procession you knew well - it was one of your duties, as part of a High Priests' family, to attend the Heb-Sed Festival, and it was a duty you found pleasant. Besides the bad company, the sight was a rare one, beautiful and strangely ethereal. Parades of exotic animals, fire and smoke made their way to stand before the Pharaoh, honoring him with the sight of complex performances. It was very much a self-satisfying party - funded by the Pharaoh, planned by the Pharaoh, and for the Pharaoh.</p><p>Gasps came from the commoners as blue fire erupted from a man's mouth, curling into the sky before dissipating in the great darkness of the ceiling. Your eyes widened in time with the Pharaoh's exclamation, watching the man bow as Ahkmen leaned forward, the opposite of your own reaction of leaning back.</p><p>"Would you stop that?" Your sister whispered to Kahmuh, pushing his arms away from herself. You motioned her distress to Teremun, the one sitting beside her, who quickly resolved the situation by switching seats with her.</p><p>"None of you have any sense of humor," Kahmuh grumbled bitterly, crossing his arms and slouching as the next group of performers came along.</p><p>"We most certainly do. You're just not funny," you snarked, surprisingly backed up by Ahkmen.</p><p>"I'm sure they'd find you hilarious... if you did anything worth their time," Ahkmen said quietly, not bothering to meet his brothers' enraged eye.</p><p>"That must be the first time you've said anything intelligent," you said to Ahkmen after the conversation with the other half of the table dissolved. "I'm almost impressed."</p><p>"And that's the first interesting thing you've ever said," he replied with that far-too-smug smirk of his, your eye subconsciously twitching in your own irritation at the boy.</p><p>"One of these days, I'm going to get you and it'll look like a bloody accident."</p><p>"Only if you kiss me," he said, trying a charming smile and leaning closer to you over the head of his younger brother.</p><p>"You wish, Goldie!"</p><p>The parade continued on seemingly endless, dances and performances coming one after the other in a line that went on for what could've been eternity. In the dark of the hall, distant and barely visible in the dim torchlight, you could see the end of it - a man standing atop a cage, and within, an alligator.</p><p>"They're nothing but trouble, you know. It never ends well when they're there," you could hear Kahmuh whisper, but too entranced in the performance to bother to look and see who he was talking to. You could easily assume it was his father, either way - Kahmuh despised talking to his other family members, even though his father hated when Kahmuh talked to him. It wasn't the most loving family, or the most accepting, which was one of the major reasons your father hated the Pharaoh; he wasn't at all open with the people he should've been the most loving towards. Your father, on the other hand, was very open about his feelings, which was something Kesi adored. Teremun and you didn't think much about it, but were grateful when it was brought up.</p><p>Before you knew it the parade ended, and servants came through, setting food on the various tables throughout the hall. The grandest, most intricate and expensive desserts and delights were set in front of the Pharaoh, who grinned in a too-satisfied expression at the showmanship of his jubilee. Rolling your eyes, you awaited your own food, which came a minute later with the rest of your family's dinner.</p><p>For the most part, the fighting seceded for the evening to make way for the party. Music took the place of snide remarks, dancing filling a silence that would've been taken by bitter responses. With full stomachs and happy faces, the evening might have even been enjoyable, had Kahmuh kept his hands to himself, but since he's Kahmuh, he obviously didn't.</p><p>Mid-song your sister Kesi stood up, shoving Kahmuh away from her. Your eyes darted to the commotion - Kahmuh had stood out of his seat, clearly bothering your sister till she broke, which was unfortunately a very poor decision on her part.</p><p>Yafeu, your father, jumped out of his seat, grabbing Kesi and putting his hand over her mouth. Several commoners were looking up at you, all of whom quickly looked away when they noticed you glaring at them.</p><p>"Get a handle on your children, Yafeu," the Pharaoh said, his teeth gritted as he glared up at your father.</p><p>"Get a handle on yours first and I wouldn't need to do a thing," he bit back, pulling Kesi to safety and sitting her down in his own seat. Murmurs rang through the crowd, and the settlement of noise called the two men to glance at their audience.</p><p>"I think it's best if you <em>leave</em>," the Pharaoh said quietly, almost under his breath. Yafeu quickly agreed, humming a quick 'come on,' when he passed Eshe and Teremun, grabbing your wrist as he walked past you. Tugged along forcefully, you barely noticed Ahkmen waving a pleasant good bye, allowing you to send one last searing glare.</p><p>+</p><p>"I cannot <em>begin</em> to tell you how irritating he is," you moaned to Unas, who mostly ignored your complaining in favor of his newest toy. Outside the sun sat low upon the distant mountains, thin clouds adding texture to a smooth, purple blue sky. A gentle breeze blew through the arches built into a wall in his room, billowing silk curtains in soft shapes. Unas had somehow managed to become your friend, which was a rare thing considering your status, but his own father was a scribe, thus the social status was level.</p><p>He was, suffice to say, an acquired taste. In fact, he hardly had any friends at all besides you due to the fact that he was far too eccentric in his decisions and, speaking honestly, a little feral. You didn't mind - you'd spend the day at his house, help him tinker away at his art and inventions, tell him a little about your life (and be unsure if he's hearing you the entire time), and end the day with inviting him to yours. Every now and then he took up the offer, showing up at your doorstep in the morning and following you on your trips around the city.</p><p>One of the things he adored was, unfortunately, looking through trash. It had confused you at first, as it would most likely do to most people, but, waist deep in torn baskets and cloths, he told you, "if you look through what's broken, you'll find what people need."</p><p>From that day forth you realized Unas was far more intelligent than most people gave him credit for.</p><p>"This is still the prince we're talking about here, right?" He asked, biting his lip as he carved a very delicate line into the wet tablet.</p><p>"Yes. His face makes me want to punch him," you said, leaning back till your head fell off the edge of the couch. Unas tsked, shaking his head, still concentrating deeply on his work.</p><p>"Isn't that a little treasonous?"</p><p>"Maybe, but it doesn't mean he doesn't deserve it. You agree with me, right? I've told you what he's like," you said, getting up off your back and crouching beside him, your hand on his shoulder. Glancing at you he laughed, ruffling your hair.</p><p>"I think I'd have to meet him first before forming any opinions."</p><p>"Trust me, you don't want to meet him."</p><p>"Perhaps not," Unas said, tapping the end of his utensil on his chin. "Care to go diving?"</p><p>"Every time," you said with a grin, the two of you standing up together.</p><p>As per usual, people flooded the market, flitting about looking for various spices and cloths. The occasional food carts were always swarmed, massive lines of people queued up for the famous delicacies of Memphis' high markets. Overhead the sun sent cascades of heat down upon the backs of the crowded streets, and at the center of everything, a fountain stood, filled with pristine water that glittered in the light of day. As delightful as the high markets were, you and Unas had a far different destination, which was fortunately rather close to the market.</p><p>In a corner of the city that not many ventured to, a good deal of people had taken up the habit of dumping their old and unused playthings and tools into a broken down house. Why, exactly, this had come to be neither you or Unas had any idea, but you were nonetheless thankful for the little treasures that could be found there. On the walk there you fondly recalled finding an entire chest in almost pristine condition, the only fault being the broken hinges. Unas solved that quickly, and from then on that chest was filled with the various things you'd found.</p><p>"Anything in particular we're looking for?" You asked as you neared the house, turning the street to see the familiar broken down door.</p><p>"I need smooth sticks, and round things," he said, looking a little too excited, rubbing his hands together discreetly.</p><p>"Alright then," you said with a shrug, numb to his odd requests in searches.</p><p>"While we're doing that," Unas said, opening the door for you, "you can try to tell me about any good traits the prince has."</p><p>"<em>Good</em> traits?" You scoffed, doing a quick survey of the bottom floor. "I think that's a little impossible."</p><p>"Nothing's impossible," he sang, already dropping to his knees and thoroughly searching through the first section of the house. Grunting your acknowledgement (though not agreement) of his statement, you continued upstairs, letting your eyes drag slowly over the many heaps of broken things. Your method of searching was different from his, much faster and less precise, but the both of you got the job done either way. Downstairs, you heard him mumble a quiet exclamation, smiling to yourself knowing he'd just found something.</p><p>Out of the corner of your eye, an object reflected the sun into your eye, catching your attention with squinted eyes. You knelt, fondling the object between your hands. It was jewelry - that or a part of a machine you couldn't even begin to fathom.</p><p><em>Unas would like this,</em> you thought to yourself, before quickly thinking, <em>I like this too.</em> The gold in your palm was malleable, fitted onto a string that would allow it to hang delicately from the neck. In the center of it, an amethyst the size of your nose sat, encased in a silver that held a mass of smaller, blue gemstones.</p><p>Another exclamation from downstairs, this time louder, caught your attention, and you quickly pocketed the treasure. Running down the stairs, you stood beside Unas, who was still knelt in the dirt.</p><p>"Look at this! A perfectly good mirror," he said, his smile wide and toothy. With a chuckle you sat beside him, taking the mirror from him when he offered and tracing the delicate carvings made into the silver of the handle.</p><p>"You could just buy a mirror, you know," you said thoughtlessly, still examining the mirror. Besides some decay and dents, it was in perfectly good shape, though your reflection was foggy at best. "Just needs some cleaning," you murmured to yourself.</p><p>"I know, but this one's free, and I think it's real silver," he said excitedly, taking the mirror back from you and putting it in his bag.</p><p>"Could just be encased in silver, but, let's keep hope. I found something too, actually," you said, remembering the necklace in your pocket. As you took it out, a soft gasp left him, his thumbs swiping over the gold.</p><p>"Besides being ugly as all hell, this has to be worth something," Unas laughed, nodding in a pleased way as you pocketed it once more.</p><p>"I suppose you are right," you grunted as you stood, "but you can't deny today was a good haul."</p><p>"Ah, ah," he tsked, shaking his head. "Not over yet."</p><p>He sent you back upstairs, where you proceeded to find several bits of metal and, to his great appreciation, a few smooth sticks that must've been part of a toy once. Downstairs, though more plentiful, had less things of actual value, but when compared to your different searching methods, the work was split evenly.</p><p>At the end of the search you convened at the front door of the house, leaning on the door frame and showcasing your different findings. It had been an excellent day to go - Unas even found a door hinge, which was a rather rare thing to find without an entire door attached to it. Hinges were great for toys, though you had a hard time thinking of any other use for them. That's where Unas excelled; his imagination towards objects and their uses was nearly astronomical, and you had a great confidence that he would grow up incredibly successful.</p><p>"Feel like celebrating?" You asked, letting him take what you'd found and put it in his bag for easier carry.</p><p>"Absolutely. I vote Nizism's place," he agreed with a smile, leading the way through shortcut alleys and into the marketplace.</p><p>Hidden away in the busy crevices of the streets, Nizism owned a bakery that was a secret treasure to you and Unas. Not many people knew about him and his shop, despite the fact that he was probably the best baker out there, and as much as you and Unas wanted him to do well in life, it felt good to have something not many people knew about. It was, perhaps, the same reason you never told anyone about your 'dumpster diving,' as the general populace referred to it as. Nizism knew every customer by name, which was easy since his regulars numbered few, and just like every other time, it was mostly empty when you entered.</p><p>The building itself was small, the furnace inside visible to all customers, a loaf of sweetbread slowly baking away inside it. You weren't an especially tall person (in fact, you were a rather short person), but even to you the ceilings were a little low - that made it easy to climb up to the roof, which you always kept in mind in case you needed to hide. Sitting in the corner, absently filing different sheets of papyrus, a man you'd seen a few times before sipped at his beer, the frothy drink coating his upper lip when he set the mug down. Nizism stood behind the counter, smiling at you when you entered, his hands balancing his weight against the firm stone of the counter. On several different plates, his menu sat beside him, the many versions of his breads and pastries on display for you to pick from.</p><p>"I'll have a date loaf," you told him, keeping your tone polite and happy. Unas, on the other hand, spent a good deal of time deciding what he wanted to have. By the time you'd paid and taken off a chunk to eat (the rest of it was for your family), he had narrowed it down to two options.</p><p>"Um... I think.. yeah, I'll have three tiger nut sweets," he finally decided, pulling coins out of his bag and paying.</p><p>"Sounds good," Nizism said, putting the three small dumplings into a bag, taking Unas' coin and wishing him a good day.</p><p>The two of you walked back into the sunlight, wandering aimlessly through the busy market as you nibbled away at your congratulations treat, which wasn't very hard at all to earn. One of Unas' favorite activities, besides looking through the dump house, was going from stall to stall and getting inspiration for what he might want to build or make. He favored toy stalls, the different mechanics of them always interesting him. Oftentimes he'd take up a good deal of time just talking to the owner of the stall, discussing how they were made, where they were from, the technology and skill required to craft such things, and by the time Unas was in the middle of a long speech, the merchants always looked tired. At that point you would hint to him that<em> the owner needs to sell these things and you're not buying</em>, which would make him leave fast enough, always adding a thank you onto the end of his speech.</p><p>This time his attention was caught by a hygiene cart, filled with mints, toothbrushes, mirrors, razors, and more, all of which you already had at home. Unas, being Unas, was far too interested in how the right formula had come about for a breath mint.</p><p>"So you use cinnamon to flavor it?" He asked, picking up one of the mints and examining it.</p><p>"No, well - yes, but I don't make them, as I said earlier. They're from Tanis," the shopkeeper explained, already looking a little weary.</p><p>"Tanis? That's a long way to travel just for breath mints."</p><p>"I live there. A family friend of mine makes these things and I bring it here so it'll sell better," he said, pinching at his skin.</p><p>"Unas? I think it'd be best if we go now," you whispered to him, a gentle hand on his back leading him away from the stall.</p><p>"Right, sorry," he mumbled, thanking the man for his time as you took him away.</p><p>"You need to work on that a little more," you said, back in the bustle of moving from stall to stall.</p><p>"But I want to learn more about what they do," he whined, his shoulders sagging as he followed you, eyes darting yearningly towards each newfangled thing.</p><p>"Then just ask them simpler questions. I'm fine with you talking my ear off, but not everyone is."</p><p>He agreed in a murmur, his mood obviously dampened, but he kept his energy up as you continued on your way. It was a great thing you appreciated about your friendship - one could bring up faults in the other, and the situation would be handled in a mature fashion in which no one's feelings got hurt.</p><p>"Oh, death totems!" You exclaimed when the sight of them caught your eye, dangling from the window and doorway of a shop building. You hadn't ever seen it before, which was a little confusing, considering something so attuned to your tastes was rare to come by. Almost leaving Unas behind, you drove through the crowd, slipping between people till you came to the front of the store.</p><p>"You know," Unas said, panting at the exertion, "you could at least <em>tell</em> me when you're going to run off."</p><p>"Hm? Oh, sorry, I... got a little caught up. Look at these," you said, marvelling at the craftsmanship. Hanging at the end of the long line of dolls lay a figurine of Medjed, who had been your favorite god for as long as you could remember. Unfortunately he wasn't a very well known or heavily worshipped god, meaning anything in dedication to him was scarce to come by - this was the exact reasons your eyes lit up the way they did, gasping as you rushed towards it, taking the doll off the hook and handling it. Medjed the Smiter he was called, though in such a small form it was hard to imagine him hurting anyone.</p><p>"Look at that!" Unas said, almost impressed as he nodded. "You should definitely get it."</p><p>You agreed easily with him, and a few short minutes later you had Medjed dangling from your finger, Unas leading the way to your next stop. The two of you found a brief respite from the blazing heat overhead in the next store, which happened to be a clothing store, stocked to the brim with different skirts, shawls, shendyts, and various bracelets.</p><p>"What's so special about this place, then?" You asked quietly, looking down the various shelf aisles.</p><p>"Did you see the green skirt lining?" He said, gesturing with his head in the general direction. Casting your gaze that way, it quickly caught your attention, the color brighter and more vibrant than any other you'd seen.</p><p>"Wow," you commented.</p><p>"Yeah, I have questions too," he said with a chuckle, coming up to the counter and starting his usual long conversation with the teller. This time the shopkeeper looked interested, happily telling Unas about his techniques, even adding in extra information Unas didn't ask about, which delighted him. Deciding that the two of them would be fine together, you meandered through the shop, soon coming across a sight you wish you hadn't seen.</p><p>"Goldie," you gritted out, your gaze instantaneously turning from neutral to pissed off.</p><p>"Oh, hello," Ahkmen said cheerfully, grinning and waving at you. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>"Like I'd tell you," you said, letting your angered glare follow him as he walked past you.</p><p>"Mm, that's fine since I don't really care."</p><p>"You're an ass, I hope you know that."</p><p>"You tell me that every time we see each other, of course I remember," he said, still smiling, something that's always managed to throw you off. Several items of clothing sat on his arm, a stack almost as wide as your face and drooping down to his knee.</p><p>As he went through the aisles, he took shirts off the shelves carelessly, tossing them onto his arm or over his shoulder. Confused, you followed after him, not even bothering to look like you weren't doing it. Looking back at you he smirked, somehow satisfied that you were intrigued enough that you didn't leave.</p><p>"What in the hell are you doing?" You finally asked when he put four bracelets onto his arm.</p><p>"Aw, are you starting to care about me?" He said in a baby voice, his lower lip pouting as he turned to you.</p><p>"I swear to god, just -" your anger, combined with the urge to punch him in the face, dissipated in a split second when his face fell from joking to terrified.</p><p>"Hey! Put those down!" The shopkeeper yelled over the quiet murmur of the store, instantly catching the attention of everyone inside it.</p><p>"Fuck, fuck, fuck, grab everything and run!" Ahkmen said in a panic, handing you everything in his arms and grabbing all that he could get his hands on, haphazardly collecting it in his arms as he bolted out of the store.</p><p>"What the -" Unas said, just as confused as you were, but you had little time to debate his reaction. The shopkeeper leapt over the counter, going straight for you as though you'd done something wrong, and then it hit you - it definitely looked like you were in cahoots with Ahkmen. As much as you hated the idea, you hated being in trouble more, thus set out in a dead sprint, following Ahkmen through the crowd.</p><p>Behind you followed Unas, who was a much faster runner than the shopkeeper. He caught up quickly, helping you carry the load without question as the shopkeeper pulled a dagger out of his sheath.</p><p>"Oh my fucking Gods," you murmured to yourself as you kept running, trying to keep up with the golden robes Ahkmen wore, whipping around the corner when you saw him turn.</p><p><em>I'm going to get stabbed because of this idiot</em>, you thought to yourself, still watching Ahkmen.</p><p>You almost ran past the bakery, the one you had been peacefully eating at only an hour or two ago, grabbing the back of Ahkmen's cape to get his attention.</p><p>"Up this way," you said, throwing the clothing up on the low roof and using your adventuring skills to scale the wall and get on the roof.</p><p>"I didn't know you could do -"</p><p>"Fucking move, he's right fucking there!" Unas yelled, pushing Ahkmen up the wall. Glancing quickly to find the shopkeeper barreling towards him, Ahkmen threw his clothes up on the roof, grabbing your extended hands to escape from the mans' wrath, immediately helping Unas up once he'd gotten safely up.</p><p>"Come on, it doesn't take much to get up here. He'll follow soon," you said, grabbing the clothes and using the little time alloted to you to stuff a good chunk of the clothing and bracelets into Unas' bag, giving a fair amount to Ahkmen and carrying the rest in your arms.</p><p>With a quick nod Ahkmen set off, you and Unas behind him as the three of you continued to scale several different buildings, ducking behind barrels and alleyways until the shopkeeper was in the distance, far, far away from you. Gasping and panting you sat on the ground, Unas kneeling beside you just as exhausted. Ahkmen let his head fall back, laughing towards the sky, weary but delighted.</p><p>"What just happened?" Unas asked quietly, his voice breaking.</p><p>"You just helped me," Ahkmen said, laughing as though it was a great achievement.</p><p>"I will reign hell upon you, Gold fish," you said, trying to get your breathing under control.</p><p>"Wait - wait, wait, <em>this</em> is the prince?!" Unas questioned, recognizing your nickname for him immediately.</p><p>"I'm Ahkmen, nice to meet you," Ahkmen said with a polite smile, shaking Unas' hand as he introduced himself.</p><p>"Unas. I've heard a lot about you."</p><p>"Good things I hope, though, knowing Ducky..." sly eyes turned to you, and you had to press your lips together to stop yourself from yelling at him.</p><p>"Ducky?" Unas said, breaking out into laughter at your nickname.</p><p>"Shut the fuck up," you grumbled, letting your head relax against the shaded wall behind you. "Now tell us what the hell we just did."</p><p>"Only for a kiss," Ahkmen said, puckering his lips.</p><p>"I'm serious! We just stole from someone, why?!"</p><p>"Oh fine. You're no fun," Ahkmen said, sitting down across from you, Unas sitting in between the two of you. "That man you were talking to, the shop owner, his name is Kek. He doesn't make a thing in that store. He 'hires' a bunch of immigrants and doesn't pay them enough, they hardly have enough money to wear the cheapest of the clothes they make. These," he grabbed one of the skirts, holding the white cloth out in front of him, "are for them."</p><p>You paused, unsure if you were to believe him or not. On one hand, he hadn't ever <em>really</em> lied to you before, but on the other he was a prince. People like him weren't ever interested in the wellbeing of those they deemed lesser than themselves, too absorbed in their own self image and pleasure to see the suffering of others.</p><p>"You... stole.. for immigrants?" You murmured, wondering if you were hearing him right. He nodded, confirming that yes, your ears were in fact working.</p><p>"Couldn't you have just bought them clothes, or gotten them out of that situation? You're a prince," Unas asked, his brow furrowed in his confusion.</p><p>"It's more poetic like this, and I can't really remove them from the situation unfortunately. That type of power is reserved for my father," Ahkmen explained. "I'd love to help more, but I can't without alerting my father, and he doesn't like immigrants. Well, he does, but for the wrong reasons."</p><p>"Why does he like them?" Unas asked.</p><p>"He likes them to work for him. For free," Ahkmen said with a grimace, his eyes dull as he thought about his father's political views.</p><p>"Ah," Unas mumbled.</p><p>"I don't know if I believe your story," you said, voicing your worry, one that Ahkmen was quick to deny.</p><p>"Come with me, then. I'm taking these to them now, then you never have to see me again," Ahkmen said, almost smiling as he picked up the clothes he had dropped.</p><p>Unsure, you glanced at Unas, who seemed fully on board with the idea. With a sigh you gathered your own pile of clothing, following Ahkmen down uninhabited streets and alleyways, staying as hidden as it was possible for a young man dressed in gold fiber.</p><p>"You could do with more discreet clothing if you're off doing reckless shit like this," you mumbled to him, the three of you crammed into a tight space between hay carts.</p><p>"Yes, but I look so much better like this," he said with a wink, settling his cape over your shoulders. You grumbled, shaking it off of you and scooting as far away from him as you could without revealing your position to the drivers.</p><p>Continuing on your way, you managed to escape the sights of several palace guards who apparently knew Ahkmen well, evaded general capture and had what could be classified as a good time (you loathed to call anything with Ahkmen a 'good time') all the way to the slums.</p><p>Despite how much you and Unas got out and wandered around Memphis, one place you basically never ventured to was the slums. This was for a variety of reasons, most of which were rules your fathers had put in place; sick stirred on every street, the mess was apparently horrid, kindness was alien to them, and no one had self respect. That was what your father told you, at least - what Unas' father told him was a mystery to you. What you found was a little surprising, though you should've put it together long before then; there was far more humanity in those with little than in those with everything.</p><p>"It's... different, than what I expected," you murmured, mostly to yourself, but the words caught Ahkmen's ear. Unas was far too engrossed in a little boy showing him his toy ox to pay any attention to you.</p><p>"What were you expecting?" Ahkmen asked, for once not teasing or prodding you.</p><p>"I don't know," you said, knowing full well you both knew what you were expecting. Trash. Stewing sickness. Instead, it was tired mothers and children who worked too hard for too little, still wearing smiles as they ran around with their friends. From inside one house music came, the sound of beats against wood, the vocalizations of an entire family humming in harmony with one another. Ahkmen smiled, just barely, as he watched your near amazement.</p><p>"This way," he said softly, grabbing your wrist and leading you along. Caught up in the moment, you didn't think to rip yourself away from his grip, letting him carry you past the many houses till you came to large tent shelters near the city wall.</p><p>It was warm inside - that was the first thing you noticed. Unbearable, sweltering heat that dampened your clothes and stuck heavy against your skin. You almost remarked about it, but Ahkmen was focused, and any word you might've said would've slipped past him. What must've been hundreds of people filled the area, many of them children with babies in their arms. In each place you looked there were makeshift beds, containers of communal foods laying about in a disorganized manner. Following him, you came to the back of the large tent, where a very stressed-looking man stood, pacing back and forth as he mumbled to himself.</p><p>This had to be something you'd been warned about; people who talked to themselves, who weren't connected with the real world. Your father warned you that they were dangerous, but when Ahkmen got his attention and he smiled pleasantly at the prince, your worry faded into nothing.</p><p>"I brought you these, um..." he grabbed your arm, hauling you away from watching the population in the tent to showcase the clothes you were carrying. "There's another coming, I'm not sure where he is but he's got lots more."</p><p>"Thank you. Thank you," the man said, an unidentifiable accent heavy on his tongue as he bowed his head.</p><p>"I'll see what I can do about getting you unionized. That way you'll be able to really fight for your rights," Ahkmen said, smiling as he patted the man's shoulder, who looked like he didn't fully understand what Ahkmen was saying, but was nonetheless grateful.</p><p>"You're a very kind boy," was what he said, a phrase you could hardly believe was about Ahkmen, but considering the course of events that day, your image of him was swaying.</p><p>"Not really. But thank you anyways," he said.</p><p>Turning back to you, he smiled curtly, leading the both of you out of the tent in search of Unas. He acted as though everything was normal, still making tiny jabs at your self esteem as the two of you scanned the streets for your friend. It didn't take long till your curiosity broke loose, unable to take a second more without knowing the truth behind his actions.</p><p>"Why are you doing this?" You asked, stopping the both of you from walking and stepping to the side, out of the main road.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"You know, helping these people. It's such a noble thing, but you're... I didn't... I don't know, you don't really seem like the saint type."</p><p>"I guess I don't really know either, but it is fun to be fair," he said, and your new image of him shattered. Of <em>course</em> he was doing it for fun, why else would a prince help the poor?</p><p>"Let's just get this done and never talk to each other again," you grumbled, sighing as you resumed your search. With a shrug he joined you, and in a few minutes you found Unas exactly where he was before, discussing the dynamic between Nephthys and Isis to a seven year old.</p><p>"But, you see, even though their separate marriages were -"</p><p>"Unas? What are you doing?" You asked, mildly amused but mostly horrified.</p><p>"Hm? Just talking to this kid, her name is Tabia, say hi," he said as he made to stand, brushing the dirt off himself as he stood beside you.</p><p>"Hi, Tabia," Ahkmen said, grinning as he knelt to her height. "I like your doll."</p><p>"Thanks," she giggled, her cheeks tinting rose as she pulled at the edges of her ratted dress.</p><p>"Come now, we're taking the clothes to this tent up here," you mumbled to Unas, not wanting to watch Ahkmen. Your idea of who he was kept changing rapidly, and you were getting pretty sick of it - it should've been simple. He was an asshole, he would always be an asshole, and that would never change.</p><p>"Good, this bag's been weighing me down," Unas said, following you to the tent.</p><p>By afternoon you were trying to say your hurried good-bye's to Ahkmen, trying to get Unas to speed up his farewell. Unas didn't feel the same way you did about Ahkmen, which you convinced yourself was due to the fact that Ahkmen was acting strange all day. More kind than he usually was. Still, you couldn't control Unas, and thus you remained in Ahkmen's presence until sunset, which by that point you were fully irritated with the man.</p><p>"By the way, don't mention any of this to my father, should he ask. I'm not technically allowed outside the palace. Until we meet again, Ducky," he said, shooting a playful wink in your direction, earning him a middle finger from you.</p><p>"I don't know what you dislike about the man," Unas said, shaking his head as the two of you walked back to his house.</p><p>"You <em>don't know</em>? How about all the times he teased me, and that awful nickname? Plus, he's just annoying, you know that vibe you get when someone's really, really annoying but you don't know why? That's him. He's the embodiment of that emotion," you ranted, gesturing harshly with your hands while you spoke.</p><p>"I've had more fun today than I do most days with you," Unas said.</p><p>"That's because I don't do illegal things," you hissed, poking his chest with your finger as you stood outside his door.</p><p>"Well then. Maybe you should start," he said with a smirk all too alike Ahkmen's, entering his house and shutting the door before you could yell at him.</p><p>+</p><p>True to his promise, you never ran into Ahkmen again after that day, much to Unas' disappointment. He'd taken a liking towards the prince, something you despised with every ounce of your being. Even worse, Unas had taken to teasing you almost as much as Ahkmen had. Fortunately he knew when to stop, and what jokes were off limits, just as you knew what to not say around him.</p><p>All good things come to an end, and your long period of peace without Ahkmen was one of those good things. It had been several long months since you'd seen him, during which Unas had kept asking when you were seeing him again.</p><p>"I'll tell you if anything comes up," you told him every time, but you never got the chance to tell him when the opportunity arose.</p><p>Some sort of dinner, a much more exclusive one this time, required the Pharaoh to invite his high priests, personal physicians, and architects. What the event was specifically for you weren't informed of - all you knew was that the meeting would start a little before sunrise, and continue deep into the night. Ever one for formalities, the Pharaoh invited the entirety of his high priests' families for dinner, the only issue being that there was a long time to wait for the dinner.</p><p>Thus, before sunrise, your father shook you and your siblings awake, telling you to dress in your best clothes. Eyes barely open, you called servants into your room, standing right as they entered with your good robes.</p><p>"Do you know what's happening?" You asked one of them drowsily, raising your arms when another directed you to.</p><p>"I've only heard rumors, but I think you're going to the palace for the day," she murmured, paying close attention to the beads sewn into your top, arranging it so they drooped off your shoulders in a soft, flowing fashion.</p><p>"Ah. Wonderful," you grumbled.</p><p><em>Another day trying to avoid four kids</em>, you thought, hoping that if you ran into anyone it'd be Khufu.</p><p>Slowly the sun rose over the horizon, indicating to your father that everyone needed to hurry up. Going from room to room, he pulled Teremun, Kesi, your mother, and yourself till you all stood in the living room, fussing away at the imperfections in your palace robes.</p><p>"Are you sure we have to go too?" Kesi asked, trying to tighten the buckle on her sleeves.</p><p>"Yes. As much as I hate the bastard, I <em>do</em> have to obey him," your father said, moving to help Kesi before moving onto your mother, wearing a white dress that dripped down to her ankles.</p><p>A knock at the door brought you out of your thoughts. Your father quickly opened the door, obviously expecting someone else, as his shoulders fell at the sight of Unas. Polite as ever, Unas smiled as he shook your father's hand.</p><p>"Hello! I'm here to see -" as his eye caught you, his expression fell into confusion, examining you in your expensive clothes.</p><p>"Bad time, Unas, we're going to the palace today," you said, stepping nearer to him to keep your conversation quiet. Behind you, your father continued to help Kesi and Teremun, the soft sounds of their voices a background noise to Unas.</p><p>"Perfect, I've been wanting to see Ahkmen again," he said with an excited smile, rubbing his palms together.</p><p>"Not really, this is sort of a private event I think - I mean," you glanced back at your family, "I suppose I could ask my father. Might be room in the carriage."</p><p>"Don't you live like, just down the road from the palace?" He asked, furrowing his brow.</p><p>"Yeah, I don't know why we hire it every time, you'd have to ask my father," you said, trying to push him out the door as your mother scowled at you.</p><p>Turning back around with Unas safely outside, you went up to your father, tapping him on the shoulder. He faced you, almost frowning, but you knew the lines on his face were more due to stress than annoyance with you.</p><p>"Unas wants to come with. He's already -" could you mention that Unas met Ahkmen without revealing that Ahkmen left the palace? "He has this - this, um, assignment that we're doing together. Needs to be finished soon, and since I won't be doing much there anyway, I thought maybe -"</p><p>"Sure, that's alright little one. Just make sure he's dressed well," he said, barely even facing you as he spoke, more focused on your mother than you.</p><p><em>Sweet</em>, you thought, almost pumping your fist before recollecting yourself. Heading outside, you told Unas the verdict, to which he was overjoyed.</p><p>"I don't have any nice clothes though! At least not with me, and I can't make it to my house in time," Unas said, grasping your upper arms in a tight grip that whitened his knuckles.</p><p>"Calm down, you can wear some of mine."</p><p>The ride to the palace was a lot more awkward than it usually was, most likely due to the fact that Unas had to change inside the carriage. Everyone knew each other, you knew that - Unas had met your father before, your mother and siblings knew about him, but it didn't stop the tension from growing thick in the air. As usual the ride was short, which considering how awkward the entire ride was, was a blessing. Unas left the carriage first, helping your mother out when she got out, followed by your father, Teremun, Kesi, and then yourself.</p><p>No matter how many times you'd seen the palace before, it always took you by surprise just how <em>big</em> everything was. All of it was larger than life, a sick reminder that they held all power over their subjects. As much as you adored the architecture, you couldn't note on the deeper meaning, at least not without seeming treasonous. Though, considering how much your family hated the Pharaonic family, talking about psychological control of subjects was pretty low on the list of things that'd get you executed.</p><p>On the way there you'd forgotten, but sparing a look at Unas you remembered he'd never seen the palace before. Not out of not being invited, hell, he'd been invited to events like this before, he just never found a legitimate reason to go. Even with the festivals he'd rather stay home, something you fully respected, just as he respected the fact that you had duties due to your connection with your father. Now he had a reason - now he stood before the palace entrance, the massive pillars casting reflections in his teary eyes as he stared upwards.</p><p>"Quite the sight, hm?" Kesi said, recognizing Unas' expression.</p><p>"Something like that," he murmured almost dreamily, earning a chuckle from you.</p><p>"Wait till you get inside."</p><p>Guards awaited you at the entrance, the pair of them splitting up to direct your father and the rest of your family in different directions. While your father was led upstairs, the remaining guard took your family (and Unas) towards the gardens, a place you'd only seen once before. For some odd reason or another the gardens were something of an off-limits place, an area only the royal family was able to frequent. The last time you saw it was quite a few years ago, when you were around five years old, so the sight of a garden flush with greenery and vibrant flowers caught you by surprise.</p><p>Down the side of the garden ran a stream, the sides of the stream covered in soft grass almost overgrown into the water. A sort of pathway made of white sand ran a circle around the garden, the center housing a massive tree, two dark, wooden benches on either side of it. On every wall protecting the garden from the view of citizens flowers grew, tangled in lush vines and scaling towards the sky. Near the entrance, just to the right of it lay a pool in which the small creek ran into, fish and tortoises lounging in the water and sun.</p><p>"You are to stay in this wing of the palace till Pharaoh calls upon you," the guard told you in a monotone voice, shutting the door as he left.</p><p>"Fun," you whispered under your breath, the word only caught by Unas, who giggled.</p><p>The family dispersed, Kesi heading immediately to the large tree in an attempt to scale it, as Teremun went to the fish. Eshe, your mother, set off on a long stroll around the massive garden path.</p><p>"When are we going to see Ahkmen?" Unas asked you nearly immediately, tugging on your sleeve.</p><p>"I don't know. If anything, at the dinner tonight," you said, unwilling to think about having to talk to the man again.</p><p>"Gods, that's a long time to wait," he said, resting his hands on his hips as he looked back out across the garden.</p><p>"Not long enough," you grumbled, starting off down the path your mother took. Unas followed, catching up to you in a jog and stopping by your side, adopting your pace as his own.</p><p>"You need to open your mind a little more. He's really not that bad! I feel like you're exaggerating a little," he said, wrapping his arm over your shoulder.</p><p>"Exaggerating?" You hissed. "He's an asshole. I can't believe you can't see that. Besides, aren't you supposed to take my side?"</p><p>"Not if it's a stupid side."</p><p>With many hours ahead of you, you and Unas passed the time with several activities, the first being a general look-around of the garden. Following that Kesi showed you how to climb up the tree, something you had to take your sandals off to do, though the view in itself was worth it. The entirety of the garden was visible from the high branches of the tree, obscured only a little by the leaves but generally beautiful.</p><p>"I wish I brought my rope," Unas said regretfully, picking at the bark of the branch he sat on.</p><p>"Why's that?" You asked, leaning forward.</p><p>"I could've launched something from these branches. They're rather flexible," he said as though it was a normal thing to say. You on the other hand, had a little trouble seeing how rope would be able to launch something, only understanding when Unas explained in detail how a catapult would work.</p><p>From there you ventured towards the creek, walking down the side of it till you reached the pond filled with lily pads, where Teremun sat with his feet in the water. Running your fingers through the water, you noted the cooler temperature, the pond glittering in the midday sunshine.</p><p>Once all the opportunities the garden gave had been exhausted, Unas brought up a good point.</p><p>"The guard did say that we were restricted to this <em>wing</em> of the palace, meaning we can technically leave the garden," he said with raised eyebrows, wiggling them so you'd get his insinuation.</p><p>"You know what? That's fair," you agreed, a look nearly as clandestine as Unas' on your face.</p><p>Sparing a quick glance back at your family members, and finding none of them looking in your general direction, you and Unas quietly opened the massive doors of the garden and headed out into the sunlit halls.</p><p>Arches lined every area possible, soft breezes and sunshine blowing in and exhilarating every painting on the walls. Images of daily life, both for the Pharaoh and for the citizens decorated everywhere you looked, religious texts and stories accompanying the scenery. You weren't much for paintings, neither was Unas, but you could both agree that they were well done, and the feat alone of completing such a numerous amount of them deserved a fair amount of praise.</p><p>"So where's Ahkmen's room?" Unas asked, smiling despite the fact he <em>knew</em> the question would irritate you. Looking over him again, you realized the bastard was trying to annoy you.</p><p>"You're an irritating friend, I hope you know that," you said, mostly ignoring his question in favor of sitting on the ledge of a massive archway.</p><p>"You remind me consistently," he laughed, only to stop at the sight of someone down the hall. "Ahkmen!"</p><p>"Unas," Ahkmen acknowledged, quickening his speed till he came to stand before you, hugging Unas as a friendly greeting.</p><p>"How have you been?" Unas asked, patting Ahkmen on the shoulder as they parted.</p><p>"Not bad, not bad at all. You?"</p><p>"Just about the same. This one," he gestured to you, "has been dreading seeing you again."</p><p>"I see nothing's changed then," Ahkmen said with a chuckle, ruffling your hair, and retracting his hand before you could claw at him.</p><p>"Since you're here, have you any idea what this meeting's about?" You asked, trying to make the time you had to spend with him at least slightly bearable.</p><p>"None at all. My father won't tell anyone his business. Actually, he's been more secretive than usual recently," Ahkmen said, a legitimate answer (for once) to a legitimate question.</p><p>"But," he continued, "I'm glad I got to see you again."</p><p>"Shove it up your ass," you replied.</p><p>"Mm, I'm not happy for the reason you're probably thinking," he said with a sly smile, kneeling down to your level, making continuous, mildly uncomfortable eye contact with you.</p><p>"Really? Mind explaining and not being cryptic for once?"</p><p>"Mother of fuck, watching you two talk to each other is like watching some fucked up mating ritual," Unas exlaimed out of nowhere, sighing deeply.</p><p>"Thanks for that, Unas," you gritted out as Ahkmen's smile widened.</p><p>"This pertains to you, too," Ahkmen said, gesturing for Unas to join him on the floor, which he did. "I want to recruit the two of you for a mission, not entirely unlike the last one we did."</p><p>"That was a one time thing, we agreed on that!" You said, almost offended that he so easily forgot his promise.</p><p>"No, I promised that you'd never see me again, which we both knew wasn't going to hold up for long because you can't get enough of me, and now th-"</p><p>"I'm going to fucking strangle you," you said, biting the inside of your cheek and digging your nails into your arm to stop yourself from actually killing him.</p><p>"Now that the promise has been broken as we both knew would happen," he said, glaring at you to make sure you wouldn't interrupt him again, "I can recruit you for another mission. Personally, I think we work well together."</p><p>"I don't think we do," you grumbled, sinking deeper into your seat.</p><p>"Well I think we do, so that's two to one, so we're going to do it," Unas said with a smile, winking at you when you tried to protest.</p><p>"This is entirely unfair."</p><p>"It won't be bad, you won't be in danger. Trust me," Ahkmen said in a soft voice, patting your shoulder with a smile far too kind compared to the smirk he usually wore.</p><p>"You confuse me, Goldie," you mumbled, allowing the both of them to lead you down the hall. On the way to wherever you were going, Ahkmen took the time to explain his plan, the purpose, and the execution.</p><p>"A few days ago I ordered Naguib, my uh, manservant, to go into the market and find a blue lotus cultivator. Now that went as well as one might imagine, which was actually rather well, but it didn't arrive until today. At least, I think it arrived today - I don't have a fantastic memory."</p><p>"Obviously," you muttered under your breath, Unas snorting when he heard you. Ahkmen just glared.</p><p>"Anyway, rude comments aside, now is the perfect time to poison some rich assholes," he said, almost excited as a smile lit up his face.</p><p>"Ahkmen? All of us are rich assholes," Unas pointed out, his serious tone contrasted greatly by his grin.</p><p>"No, we're freeloaders off our parents, there's a difference. Back to the point, we're going to brew some blue lotus tea and, if you haven't ever taken blue lotus before..." he looked at the both of you, searching for any indication that one or both of you hadn't been high on the plant before. You hadn't, but Unas did it once, though granted a very small amount. "It basically makes you relax quite a bit. Usually you'll talk a lot more, maybe get a little horny, you know. The usual."</p><p>"Fantastic. Who are we poisoning?" Unas asked, trying to keep his short steps up with Ahkmen's long strides.</p><p>"That damned meeting none of us know anything about."</p><p>"Wait, what?" You grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking. The jolt had him stumbling back, till you were face to face, far closer than you could ever deem comfortable. "I - I don't know about your relationship with your father, but I actually like my father and I don't feel like poisoning him."</p><p>"It's not really poison. It'll just loosen them all up, which we all know they could do with," Ahkmen said, rolling his eyes when he thought of his father and the various high priests.</p><p>"What's the point though? What will this achieve?" You asked, following him when he continued to lead you down the twists and turns of the palace halls. Soon the arches disappeared, torches taking their place and lighting the vast pathways with a warm, dim flame.</p><p>"Not much. I just want my father to embarrass himself."</p><p>"You dislike your father?"</p><p>"Not exactly," he said, pursing his lips together as though in deep thought. "But I don't like his advisors."</p><p>"I'm in for anything that hits the rich where it hurts," Unas said with a shrug, voicing what was technically your own views, but it didn't cover the fact that you still didn't want to drug your father.</p><p>"Is there any way to drug everyone besides my father?" You asked, knowing the answer would most likely be an avid 'no.'</p><p>"Nope! Also, if we get caught, you're taking the blame," he said, blowing a kiss in your direction.</p><p>"What? Why me?! I didn't even organize it," you said hurriedly, your anxieties suddenly taking over.</p><p>"Because I think your father loves you more than my father loves me, and besides, I don't think you've ever been in trouble before. You're such a goody-two-shoes."</p><p>"Well he's not wrong," Unas said, a technically correct statement paired with a pat to your shoulder as he entered a door after Ahkmen. Nearly seething with hatred for both of them you pushed the door open, following them down a flight of stairs till you came to the cellar.</p><p>The cellar itself was well made, with architecture almost as nice as the rest of the palace, but not quite there. Pillars kept the roof from collapsing under the weight of the ground, hundreds of barrels lining the walls. Built into the clay of the ground, the barrels sat in holes made especially for them, protruding only an inch out of the wall. Boxes and carts full of various bags and foods lay in the corner, ready to be sent to the kitchen. In the corner, hidden behind a sheet covering lay an upright barrel, the top firmly closed on it.</p><p>"There's our treasure," Ahkmen said, biting his lower lip as he grabbed a long, thin metal stick. Jabbing one end of it under the lid, he pressed down on the other end, the barrel popping open as the lid fell to the floor with a <em>clunk</em>. The three of you peeked inside, seeing blue lotus petals fill the barrel up around halfway - more than what you needed, something you all realized with a devious smile.</p><p>"How are you planning on getting this to them?" You asked, picking up one of the petals.</p><p>"Around noon my father always has tea with his meetings, and since it's rude to not offer it to everyone else, and it'd be rude of them to decline, everyone in the room with him also has tea, so... this'll be pretty easy. Just need to boil some water," he said, looking far too delighted about doing something so illegal.</p><p>"Will the servants go along with it?" Unas asked, following Ahkmen's lead and helping him lift the barrel. As they did so you joined, helping direct them safely up the stairs and into the kitchens.</p><p>"What the servants don't know won't hurt them. Besides, if we're caught Ducky is taking the blame, remember?" He said, laughing when he caught your angered expression.</p><p>"At least I'll be banned from coming back to the palace, so I won't have to see your ugly mug ever again," you said, smirking when he scowled. For once the positions were switched, and the power was something you found yourself enjoying, however sick the play was.</p><p>Safely inside the closed doors of the kitchen, the few servants there paid little attention to you. Ahkmen was with you, so by all accounts you were allowed to go wherever you wanted, so long as it was Ahkmen who initiated it. With that Ahkmen set off towards the fire, making sure the water was simmering around the edges of the large metal pot. Waving you over, his head still held over the water, he grabbed a handful of the petals, sprinkling them over the steam.</p><p>"How many do you think we need?" Unas asked in a whisper, looking inside to watch the flowers steep.</p><p>"About enough to tint the water, so," he grabbed a larger handful, sticking a large amount of petals into the water, "maybe a little more."</p><p>You took the initiative, taking your own handful of flowers and putting them in the boiling water. Slowly the boiling ceased, the water changing from clear, to a vague blue, eventually ending on a misty white.</p><p>"Um... is it supposed to look that color?" You said, squeezing your hands anxiously.</p><p>"It's not like it matters," Ahkmen said, sounding less and less like he believed himself with every word.</p><p>"I heard they're supposed to be like, purple or something. Maybe it was green - but it wasn't <em>white</em>... well..." Unas mumbled uncertainly, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what color blue petals would tint water, if not blue or white.</p><p>"Shit, the server's coming, no going back now," Ahkmen hissed, pushing the both of you out the back door of the kitchen with hurried hands. Laughing the whole way, the three of you ran back towards the gardens, only relaxing when the large doors shut behind you, and safety was guaranteed. A dizzy smile on your face you fell to the ground, sitting beside Unas as Ahkmen stood, his back still against the door as though it'd keep it shut.</p><p>"That was close," Unas said, coming down from his high and trying to catch his breath again.</p><p>"My only regret," Ahkmen knelt beside you and Unas, "is that we won't be able to see their faces."</p><p>"That would've been nice," you agreed, still smiling blissfully.</p><p>"See? Working with me isn't that bad. Hasn't gone wrong yet," Ahkmen said, gently punching your shoulder. You shook your head, looking towards the sky.</p><p>"Sure, but never again. You could've easily done all that without us."</p><p>"But it wouldn't have been <em>nearly</em> as fun."</p><p>Although you were in a mild quarantine to one wing of the palace, Ahkmen snuck you and Unas past the guards, up several flights of stairs till you came to stand before double doors larger than those of the garden. Watching both your reactions carefully he opened the doors, golden light streaming into the dark hallway from the room. As they fully opened, your eye was caught by the silk sheets of a canopy bed, closely followed by white curtains billowing in a gentle breeze surrounding the balcony. A single strip of paintings, one brick tall, surrounded each wall, running around the room and depicting every sort of thing - farming, sunlight, gods - the life source of your world. Standing tall on each side of the door was a vase, black and covered in a foreign gold design. To the left was a desk, littered with papyrus and ink, and to the right a bundle of blankets and pillows on the floor. You shot him a quizzical look at the mess, to which he shrugged.</p><p>"I'm assuming this is your room, right?" You said with a quiet snort. He hadn't told you where you were going - apparently it was a surprise, albeit not a very good one.</p><p>"You would be correct, dear Ducky," he said with a too-wide smile, patting your head like you'd done a fancy trick. Unas snickered, ceasing immediately when you turned to glare at him. "There's more things to do here than there is in the garden. I also thought you might like to see what <em>actual</em> luxury is like."</p><p>"Seriously? Your family gets pretty much all its' money from mine," you scoffed, pulling the chair out from underneath his desk, facing them and sitting down with your legs spread in a wide, relaxed position.</p><p>"That's because we know how it should be spent, unlike you prudes," he said, stalking towards you and leaning down to your height, your face close enough to his that you could see your reflection in his eyes.</p><p>"If you two are going to fuck, I'm leaving," Unas said, breaking the tension Ahkmen had built.</p><p>"I wouldn't have sex with Goldie even if Nut and Geb got back together," you said, smirking as he did the same, lost in the connection your eyes couldn't seem to break.</p><p>"That's good, because I don't think your family likes me very much," Unas said with a sigh and a small grunt, falling backwards into the massive pile of pillows and blankets Ahkmen had in the corner of his room. Turning to him Ahkmen tsked, shaking his head.</p><p>"There's not much else to do now, just sit and wait till someone comes to kick our asses," he said, lying down next to Unas, his fingers knitted together behind his head.</p><p>"If we're lucky Teremun might take the blame," you said, turning to all the documents on his desk. There was a fair number - all scattered and disorganized, flipped about here and there with codes and doodles lining the edges.</p><p>"I thought you liked Teremun?" Unas said.</p><p>"I do, but I like staying out of trouble more... not that either of you would understand that," you mumbled beneath your breath.</p><p>"Oh, I understand it perfectly," Ahkmen said with a laugh. "I just prefer to stay out of punishment - two different things, vastly different. And that, dear friends," his gaze drifted lazily between the two of you, "is why I'm the favorite son."</p><p>"Don't ever call me your friend again."</p><p>"As you wish, my love."</p><p>Unas had to restrain you from choking Ahkmen.</p><p>The morning passed quickly into noon (the time seemingly sped up by your interactions with both Unas and Ahkmen), and as the sun began to fall from the sky Ahkmen led you back into the garden, where your family awaited you, along with six guards, who were certainly not there before. At the sight of them you froze, and before they could spot you walking in, Ahkmen grabbed your wrist and Unas', pulling you away from the door and hiding you behind them in the hallway.</p><p>"Six guards. That's not normal, they must've drunk the tea and I'd say probably aren't happy about it," Ahkmen whispered to you, poking his head past the door to check what was happening. You followed below him, Unas peeking below you, till your heads were in a neat row, all of you watching the guards surround your family.</p><p>"Well <em>obviously</em> they aren't happy about it. It's not exactly legal," you whispered back.</p><p>"It's perfectly legal, there's no rule against it," Ahkmen refuted.</p><p>"Yes, because our Pharaohs probably thought no one was stupid enough to do something like this!"</p><p>"To be fair, Ma'at's principles do say not to pollute the water," Unas pointed out helpfully, earning scowls from both you and Ahkmen as the three of you retreated back to safety, out of the guard's line of sight.</p><p>"I think we can take that in a less literal sense," Ahkmen said, sinking to the floor.</p><p>"I think it means exactly what it says."</p><p>"No one actually follows those rules anyway! We've all cursed, we've all been sad for no reason, we've all exaggerated, they're dumb rules," you hissed, gritting your teeth as the reality of what you did settled into your mind - how could you have thought that punishment wasn't the end?</p><p>"That's a little treasonous of you," Ahkmen said, almost sounding impressed.</p><p>"It's just what I believe," you mumbled, shying away from his pleased grin.</p><p>"Can you two stop flirting for three goddamn seconds?" Unas hissed, slapping your shoulder as he looked into the garden again.</p><p>"I'm not - quit hitting me!" You tried pushing his hand away, but he was adamant, his eyes still trained on the garden.</p><p>"Oh Gods, we need to pretend like we haven't been sitting here, <em>now</em>," Unas said, standing up, quickly followed by Ahkmen and you. How the three of you had come to trust each other without hesitation was a mystery to you, but you were glad you did, as just a few seconds later two guards opened the door fully, exposing you to the afternoon sun.</p><p>"My Prince," one of them said, their voice surprisingly calming. You almost lost your worries of being caught - almost.</p><p>"Something wrong, guards?" He asked, seemingly calm, though he had a tell - whether or not the guards knew that was unknown to you. His eyes would narrow, but only by the bottom. When he was telling the truth he'd stare unblinkingly, a look you'd become uncomfortably familiar with.</p><p>"Someone roofied the King's tea," they explained, eyes narrowing suspiciously upon you and Unas. Out of the two of you, you definitely looked the most guilty - not due to any behavior of yours, but simply because your clothes were a major sign of a disobedient delinquent. Unas, standing a head taller than you next to you, was dressed in your school clothes.</p><p>"Is he okay?" Ahkmen asked, pretending very well that he was worried.</p><p>"Should be. The dinner had to be delayed... he's keen on finding the culprit," they said, glancing at you again before doing a once-over of all three of you, leading you inside when they found nothing wrong.</p><p>Sitting around the tree, your family welcomed you back happily, ignorant of what had happened. Chuckling nervously you sat beside them, Ahkmen introducing himself quietly to a very disgruntled Kesi.</p><p>"I know who you are," she bit, not bothering to look his way. Somehow surprised, Ahkmen turned back to you, his eyes wide.</p><p>"She's a little mean," he mumbled as he sat next to you, Unas on your other side.</p><p>"What do you expect? My family hates you - well, you and the rest of your family."</p><p>"I suppose we're the only ones that like each other, then?" He said, an expectant smile twitching at his lips as he turned to you. You frowned.</p><p>"Keep telling yourself that, Gold fish."</p><p>His smile fell, and Unas hit your side, chiding you for your response.</p><p>An hour or two must've passed (at least that's what Unas claimed) till anyone could leave the garden. This ban on leaving, unfortunately, also applied to Ahkmen, as his brothers were apparently 'not serious suspects.' Despite being the so-called favorite son (this was one thing that you actually believed), he was still a suspicion, since you and Unas, already distrusted, were the only ones who could back up his story.</p><p>Muttering emanated from the hall, distant and quiet from your position. You must've been the first to hear it, since only you turned your head to the guarded door, waiting for someone to come bursting through. The arguing grew louder, and it wasn't long at all until the words were clear, and the doors swung open with the force of two very, very angry men.</p><p>"This is all <em>your</em> fault, you and your insidious family thinking that you own this place!" The Pharaoh said, the white in his knuckles desperate to meet your father's face, who looked equally as angry.</p><p>"May I remind you that <em>I</em> was drugged as well? Do you think I would put any of my children up to this?!"</p><p>Your mother stood, hurrying to your father's side to whisper to him.</p><p>"Yafeu, what has happened?" She asked urgently, fussing over his unkempt outfit.</p><p>"It's alright, Eshe. Someone must've snuck into the kitchens, our tea was..." his eyes glanced over you, "poisoned."</p><p>As a deep despair settled into your heart, you could feel your face going pale - this was the end. Were you going to be executed because of a stupid prank that was most definitely Ahkmen's fault and <em>not yours</em>? Either way there was little time to think; the Pharaoh was approaching you, clearly annoyed at the fact his son was sitting beside you, and a little confused at Unas' appearance, but somehow still mad at Unas all the same.</p><p>"One of you did this and for that you will pay, dearly," he hissed, his teeth gritted as he pointed an accusatory finger at you and your siblings, as well as Unas. Teremun would be the most likely to do something like you did, you knew that - as quiet as he was he was daring, and he always retaliated when his family was hurt.</p><p>There wasn't enough time to interview each of you privately, you all knew that, especially since the Pharaoh wanted you out of his sights as soon as possible. This line of thinking was probably what led to his next order.</p><p>"I want all of you out. None of you are ever to come back to the palace for any occasion, except you," the Pharaoh turned back to your father, still louring at him, "only because you're a necessity." He said the words like venom in his mouth, spitting them out as the two men never dared to break eye contact.</p><p>"Wait, Father, you can't do that," Ahkmen said quietly, rushing to grab his father's shoulder and turn him to face him.</p><p>"Yes I can, and what do you care? It's not like any of them are worth your time," he snapped.</p><p>"It wasn't them! They haven't done anything wrong, none of them have," Ahkmen insisted, surprising both you and Unas - he was being far too sincere, acting far more worried than either of you would've guessed he even could. "I did it, alright?"</p><p>The blood in your veins slowed, dredging along your arms and legs as your fingers went numb. <em>Surely</em>, you thought to yourself, <em>surely he wouldn't do this.</em></p><p>
  <em>Surely I heard him wrong.</em>
</p><p>But you hadn't; Unas stared gaping at Ahkmen, almost bewildered, as you gripped at the grass against your knees, pulling it out anxiously. The Pharaoh's expression was one of betrayal and anger, mixed in with confusion and a hint of spite - there was no way you were going to guess the outcome to this, so you didn't bother to try. With careful eyes you watched as Ahkmen told him what happened, leaving your name and Unas' out of the picture, moving the blame that was originally yours unto himself.</p><p>"None of them have done anything wrong. It was me, and I'm sorry," he finished with, your father and mother standing close together as they listened, nodding when he finished.</p><p>"Thank you for your honesty," the Pharaoh said quietly, his arms crossed as he looked down to his feet. Looking back up his gaze switched from Ahkmen to you and your family, to Unas, and back to his son. "As punishment, you are not to see any of them again," Ahkmen tried to protest, quickly cut off by his father, "I know you find them entertaining, or... whatever, and that is why you are not to speak with them."</p><p>It was a dream come true for you, never seeing Ahkmen or his rotten family again, so why did you feel sick? Why, when you looked to Unas, did you share the same expression of desperate wishing, hoping that what would come to pass had never been spoken? You couldn't like him; you barely tolerated him, which only made you more confused when he and his father left out the garden door.</p><p>"Come," your father murmured, gathering you and your siblings up and leading you to the palace gates, guards ensuring your protection.</p><p>Something numb, numb or despondent, or perhaps both, clawed into your chest. Every step was slow, calculated, unnervingly even as you had nothing else to concentrate on, nothing else that wouldn't make you burst out in what could've been anger or despair. It was all so surreal - it couldn't really be happening, and if it was, you certainly wouldn't feel like this. You wouldn't feel empty. You wouldn't feel confused.</p><p>As you took your first step down the long flight of stairs leading out of the palace, someone gripped your upper arm, pulling you back and spinning you around. Before you stood Ahkmen, panting as his eyes flickered across every feature on your face. You couldn't ask what he was doing, the words wouldn't come out, so he spoke instead, taking your hands in his.</p><p>"Listen, I'm sorry about today, I didn't think my father would react this violently and -"</p><p>"It's alright. What's done is done," you said, but he shook his head.</p><p>"<em>Please</em>, if ever your need be, come find me, and, um," he dug into his pocket, pulling out a pendant on a leather string, "keep this. It's - it's good luck. And it'll make sure you remember me."</p><p>
  <em>Of course I would remember you.</em>
</p><p>He placed the necklace in your upturned palm, the medium warm and smooth beneath your fingertips. It had to be made of bone, or something of that ilk - you found most unearthly materials were made of that which was dead. Carved into the white rectangle were blue inscriptions, hieroglyphs, none of which you could read. You weren't a scribe. Unas' father was, but that fact escaped you in the moment, and you asked what it said.</p><p>"This is beautiful, but I don't know what it says," you murmured, knitting your eyebrows together in concentration as you flipped the pendant over. It had inscriptions on the other side too, and when you looked back up at Ahkmen, he was smiling - soft, almost affectionate.</p><p>"It's a secret," he said with a wink. Over his shoulder you saw his father yell for him to come back, which he did, smiling at you one last time before he disappeared in the dark corridors of the palace.</p><p>"What was that all about?" Unas asked in a quiet voice as you and your family headed down the steps.</p><p>"I'm not sure," you said.</p><p>Turning the pendant over in your hands again, you tied the string around the back of your neck, fiddling with the dangling necklace all the way back home.</p><p>+</p><p>Day and night seemed to mesh together as confusion plagued your thoughts, twisting what you thought you knew and changing your memory. Maybe he wasn't all that bad, you convinced yourself one day, but the next you were assured of your hatred and happy he was gone. Despite how your rollercoaster of emotions might've changed hour by hour you didn't take the necklace off - even when you were confident in your resentment of the man, you couldn't deny it was well crafted, and fit your complexion rather well.</p><p>When you weren't tossing and turning over your emotions towards Ahkmen, you were wondering what the necklace said. As gorgeous as the inscriptions were they held no meaning, not to you at least - it meant nothing except a physical reminder of what you could've done different. You'd only interacted with the boy two times outside of the times you were required to, but apparently it was enough to warp your world view, something you both despised and adored him for.</p><p>Unas dealt with thoughts of his own, issues different from yours but similar in subject. From the many hours you continued to spend with him you garnered that he felt guilty, taking the blame that the whole situation had progressed the way it did, even though you both knew it truly, really was Ahkmen's fault. <em>He</em> was the one who'd decided to do something bad. <em>He</em> was the one who took the blame. He did all that to himself in order to spend time with the both of you, not that either of you could see that - you were both far too caught up in the idea of never seeing him again that the thought of him planning that purely to see you never crossed your minds.</p><p>"We're going to see him again, right?" Unas asked you, both of you enjoying your usual market trip all the while feeling very lonely, despite the fact that it had always been just the two of you. "Like, the Pharaoh can't keep him away forever."</p><p>"It's up to several things," you said, feeling like you'd rather be talking about something else as you took a bite of your honey cake. "First off, it's possible his father will forgive him and let him go outside, and all that. Besides that option, there's always when the Pharaoh dies, his eldest son will take the throne."</p><p>"Kahmuh, right?" Unas asked, receiving a nod from you.</p><p>"There's a possibility Kahmuh will forget about the whole ordeal and the ban will be lifted, but Kahmuh isn't the type to forgive and forget. He holds grudges. He still hates my sister just because she doesn't show an interest in him, which is -"</p><p>"Disgusting," Unas interrupted you, to which you easily agreed.</p><p>"Hopefully this whole thing will be solved in the next several years," you said with a sigh, picking away at your treat without any real desire to eat it.</p><p>"<em>Years</em>? That's going to be forever," Unas said, shaking his head at the thought.</p><p>"Well the Pharaoh isn't that old. It'll be a while till he passes away, and besides," you eyed him, lowering your voice, "saying aloud that you want the Pharaoh to die or be gone, it isn't exactly a great idea."</p><p>"I'm simply <em>not</em> willing to wait that long," Unas declared, sticking the rest of his sweets back in his bag, and crossing his arms. "We'll have to do something about it."</p><p>"... I'm not killing the Pharaoh," you said slowly.</p><p>"What? No, that's - that's sick," he shook his head, "I meant we're going to have to either sneak into the palace or sneak Ahkmen out."</p><p>"Which one's easier do you think?" You said, taken aback by your own readiness to commit another crime. Unas even noticed, turning to you with a furrowed brow, before looking back at the general crowd.</p><p>"I'm surprised you even want to help. Don't you hate the man?" Unas said with a laugh, the grin reaching his eyes and crinkling the edges there.</p><p>"I do! I just -" there had to be a way to say you wanted to see him again without <em>actually</em> saying you wanted to see him again -"I hate seeing you so upset."</p><p>Unas stared at you for a moment as you tried not to make eye contact.</p><p>"Right," he said. "I'd say getting him out would be easier. He's got a balcony, right?"</p><p>You nodded.</p><p>"Should make it easy. We could do a catapult, a thrust of some sort, something... something that would propel us into the air and to his balcony. Since it's so high up, you know."</p><p>"Right, yes it's high, but I feel that that's a bit overkill? Wouldn't a rope and a hook work just as well?"</p><p>"So you're telling me you have the strength to throw a roped hook fifty feet in the air?"</p><p>He <em>did</em> have a point, not that you wanted to admit it - your idea was purely based off the fact that you hated the idea of just throwing yourself into the air and hoping by lucky chance that you'd land on the tiny balcony Ahkmen had. Unas claimed to be smart, and you knew very well that he was good at mathematics, but you can't just predict a curve. Even if he did manage to do that, it sounded a foolish concept by itself.</p><p>"Maybe we could catapult the rope?" You suggested, more unsure of yourself with every word.</p><p>"Hang on, you might be onto something," he said, a vacant stare taking over his eyes as some sort of machine began to materialize in his mind. With a gasp he stood, leaving you with a pat on your shoulder in the center of the market, heading in the direction of his home.</p><p>As usual Unas was a very fast runner, and by the time you found him back at his house, sketch upon sketch, every attempt scribbled with countless notes, lay scattered at his desk and pinned to the wall. You tried to speak, the noise just barely coming out of your mouth before he was shushing you.</p><p>To your credit, you did try to stay for a good long while, sitting silently in the backdrop of his bedroom. His father was hardly ever home and his mother knew you well, so the length of your stay wasn't of any great importance. Your parents would know where to look for you, but by the time sunset came around, you were a little tired of being ignored and fully ready to head home. You told him this in a quiet voice, gently tapping his shoulder as you did.</p><p>"Alright," he said, still engrossed in his latest version, before realizing what you'd just said. He jumped from his seat as you shut the door behind you, chasing after you and finding you in the hallway. "Meet me tomorrow. It should be done then."</p><p>"Where and when?"</p><p>"Let's say midrise? And, um... just meet me here. I might need help moving this contraption," he decided, nodding as though to affirm himself.</p><p>"Are you going to name it?" You asked with a chuckle.</p><p>"Now's not the time for that. I need to - I need to get back to it," he said, not even leaving you with a good-bye as he rushed back into his room. Sighing and shaking your head, a smile crossed your face; as annoying as those phases of his life were, it was nice to see him so entertained with something.</p><p>By the next morn you were well rested (though you doubted you could say the same for Unas), and your mother had prepared a rather large breakfast for no specific occasion. Bowls of honey and dates sat on the table, surrounded by several different loaves, each one a different preparation for a different taste. Where your mother got the resolve to do things like this you hadn't a clue, but you enjoyed it anyway, and as the sun sat in the center of the sky, you thanked her and ran off towards Unas' house.</p><p>Twisting through empty and crowded streets you made your way to the front door, knocking once before his father was already opening the door. Surprised you almost jumped back, but managed to stay on your feet - the last time you saw his father must've been at least five months ago. Abasi was a very strange man from what you'd seen of him, which wasn't much at all and you shouldn't've drawn conclusions from the very few times you'd spoken with him, but he certainly was the only person you knew who could read hieroglyphs.</p><p>"Abasi, sir? Sorry for um, interrupting whatever it was you were doing, but could you read this for me quickly?" You asked, keeping your voice fast-paced; anything less would bore him. With shaking fingers you undid the knot at the back of the necklace, the cold pendant sliding down your collarbone till it came to your hands, and you handed it to him.</p><p>He looked at you strangely for a moment before taking it, doing a quick once-over. Taking very little care with it, he handed it back to you, his face still stone.</p><p>"This side says run away with me," he said, pointing to the face-up side on your palm, "and the other side says please... and your name."</p><p>"Oh..." you murmured, wondering how he could've gotten a pendant with your name on it so quickly. Before you could even hypothesize on whatever the pendant really meant, Abasi pushed you aside and left, leaving you alone with your confused thoughts.</p><p><em>There are better times to think about this</em>, you told yourself, but even as you climbed the steps and crossed the hallway to Unas' room, you couldn't stop going over it. It was personalized, with such an obvious intimate message, and as you opened Unas' door, you tied the pendant back around your neck - out of sight, out of mind. Still it seemed to weigh down on you, heavy against your chest.</p><p>"Good morning!" Unas exclaimed, yanking the door open just as you set your hand on the handle. You jumped back, caught surprised by his outburst - you had expected him to still be at his desk.</p><p>"Morning, Unas," you said, breathing slow and shaking your head to calm your suddenly raised heart rate. Taking your hand he lead you to his desk, sitting you down in his seat and pushing you towards the many sketches lain about his desk, scattered and disorganized.</p><p>"That one," he pointed to one pinned to the wall with a knife, "that's what we're going to be making. I know what parts we need, I made two sheets." He then proceeded to dig through the pile of papyrus, somehow managing to pull two identical sheets out of there as if he knew where it was all along. Handing one to you he took the other, and you looked over your own.</p><p>"Unas, I don't think we're going to be able to find all this stuff," you said slowly, going over the list. Several very specific bolts, strips of tough wood, metal hook that wouldn't break, a fifty foot rope - you'd be lucky to find even one of these in the trash heaps in an entire month. At that rate, it'd be easier to just wait for the day Ahkmen would be released of his family's own volition. At the bottom of the list lay the hardest material, your eyes bulging as you read it; 5.5 feet of linen.</p><p>"I think we'll be okay," Unas said, halting when he saw your expression.</p><p>"<em>Linen</em>? Are you joking? It's so hard to get it’s used as fucking currency, and you want <em>five feet </em>of it?!" You slapped the paper back on his desk, your hand making a hard <em>slap</em> with the wood.</p><p>"Hear me out, okay?" He said quickly as you stood, approaching him with your hands clenched into fists. "It's so simple to make, trust me, okay? You can trust me, you've done it before, now isn't any different except.. except we're saving the love of your life from imprisonment!"</p><p>You nabbed his list from his hands, looking over it again before tossing it to the side, still holding a death glare with him.</p><p>"Let's get some things straight," you hissed, backing him up into a wall. "Number one, he's not the love of my life, I don't even like the man. Number two these are <em>ridiculous</em> materials, and third -"</p><p>"You're on board, aren't you?"</p><p>"Of course I am, but I'm not going to be happy about it."</p><p>Shopping list in hand and a hefty amount of gold rings with you, the two of you set off in your usual direction; the dump house. It hadn't been long since the two of you had last seen it, actually it was just yesterday you'd been there, but somehow the heaps were never familiar. The sight of them you were accustomed to, yes, but exactly what the heaps were composed of was always a mystery. Each time you came (including this time as well) it felt as though the entirety of it had been cleaned and an entirely different type of trash had been dumped there.</p><p>Immediately you set off to work, Unas taking the lower floor and you taking the upper, lists in hand as eyes scraped meticulously over the piles. Several things caught your eye, and on any other day you would've run downstairs excitedly to show Unas, but there was a mission today - a real mission, that could actually help someone, namely Ahkmen. Not you. This mission was not for you.</p><p>"Holy FUCK!" Unas shouted, surprising you out of your close inspection. You ran downstairs, your mostly empty bag clanging against your thigh as you came to stand beside Unas, wondering what in the hell could've gotten him so worked up.</p><p>"Everything alright?" You asked.</p><p>"Everything's <em>perfect</em>! Forget the bolts and the sticks, well - everything but two bolts, we still need those," he said, marvelling at a large, thick piece of wood in a Y shape.</p><p>"... right," you mumbled, heading back upstairs after that shock. As distant as he usually was, there were moments where he would get far too excitable, scaring you in the process.</p><p>Fortunately he didn't have another outburst of energy the rest of the morning, and by noon you'd found the bolts and nails you needed - all that remained was the linen, the hook, and rope, which the both of you knew you needed to buy. Anything else would've been too cheaply made to support what you needed, thus the two of you left in high spirits, heading in the direction of the market.</p><p>Busy, as usual - weeding your way through the crowd you came to the best blacksmith, which you could only afford due to your status. Entering the small building, the first thing you noticed was the heat; unbearable, surrounding every inch of your skin and clogging up your nose with an awful burning smell. Somehow, even with the midday sun blazing overhead, it was hotter inside. Unas even cringed a little, though wasn't deterred in the slightest. He went straight to the counter, waiting for the man to notice him, and as he did you scoped the shop out. A hook wouldn't be all too hard to find, there were many uses for them. Your only issue was you needed a <em>specific</em> hook.</p><p>"Hi, I'm Unas," he introduced himself to the worker, who looked him up and down, took his glove off, and shook his hand.</p><p>"Idogbe. What do you need?" He asked, his voice surprisingly soft, especially for his build, which must've been taller and stronger than anyone you'd met.</p><p>"We need a sort of hook, one that can sort of.. attach, you know?" Unas explained poorly, gesturing vaguely with his hands as Idogbe watched unamused.</p><p>"You mean a grappling hook?" He asked after letting Unas suffer under his gaze for a good two minutes.</p><p>"Yes! That'd be perfect," Unas said with a smile, turning back to you in a self-satisfied manner. You exchanged odd facial expressions with him, getting slowly weirder and harder to do, till Idogbe returned to the desk from the back room.</p><p>"This'd be a good one, withholds quite a bit of weight. Rope attach here, weapon attach here," he said, pointing to the various holes and inserts at the bottom of the hook.</p><p>"Wonderful. How much for it?"</p><p>"Let's say 90?"</p><p>You could physically see Unas' eyes bulge out of his head at the price, and for the first time you laughed at his misfortune. Drawing nearer, you kept your mouth next to his ear as you whispered.</p><p>"You handle this, wrangle the price - I'll head in the linen direction," you muttered, to which he agreed.</p><p>It wasn't hard to find a fabric store, and even less difficult to find a good price - the woman manning the store, named Kakra, was clearly new. You hated to take advantage of that, considering she was practically stuttering on every word, but there were more important things for you to do. Kakra would have to deal with a price she shouldn't have let you buy at.</p><p>Around an hour or two after noon, you reconvened at the market's center, sitting on the edge of the massive crystal water fountain. After a quick show of wares, you made a quick stop at Nizism's for food, and headed back to Unas' home. There he constructed the contraption as you sat on his bed, daydreaming about how different your life could've been. Not towards anything in particular, you were fine with how you were - just different scenarios, something to pass the time as afternoon turned to evening.</p><p>"Is it done yet?" You asked, still staring up at the ceiling, tossing a wooden ball between your hands.</p><p>"Yes, actually, which is surprising considering how many times you've asked me that," he said, a clear annoyance in his words.</p><p>"Well how else am I supposed to know when I can look over?" You asked, frowning.</p><p>"It's not a surprise, you could've looked over whenever you wanted to!"</p><p>"Really? Oh," you said, sitting up and watching him finish up. "It's usually a surprise."</p><p>He backed away from it, the large Y structure now having the two ends of the linen wrapped around each protrusion except the bottom one. It didn't look particularly special, or new, but you knew better than to say anything. In all actuality it was a very plain thing, without decoration or pizazz, but you supposed it wasn't really the time to deal with that.</p><p>"Then, we have the hook," he said, raising the hook in the air, the rope tied to it, "and there's a special weight in the hook, gives it more momentum, so we place it like this..." he set the hook in the linen, pulling the material back as it stretched, "and when you let go -" he let go, and the hook crashed into the wall with a loud <em>clang</em>. "There you go!'</p><p>"So the hook is supposed to go up to his balcony?"</p><p>"Yes indeed, we just need a place in which we can launch it from," Unas said with a smile, clearly happy with his little invention.</p><p>"Somewhere we won't be seen, obviously," you said, scratching your chin as you thought of the layout of the palace, the surrounding brush and hills, trying to think of somewhere you'd be hidden that would also allow you to actually be able to aim correctly.</p><p>"That's the difficult part," he said, snapping his fingers.</p><p>"<em>That's</em> the difficult part? Didn't you play 90 rings for the hook?"</p><p>"Yes, but it wasn't really my money, so it doesn't bother me," he said with a shrug. You hummed in acknowledgement, still thinking of where you could launch from. Then it hit you - something you'd somehow forgotten from many years ago.</p><p>When you were around three years old, that was when you were introduced to Ahkmen - at the time you were actually rather friendly with each other, for some reason. He was cute, at the time, that is. Before you really knew what status was, before you knew that stalking was a thing that you really shouldn't do, you snuck out of your house late at night, hiding in the well kempt bushes surrounding the palace. From your vantage point you could easily see Ahkmen's balcony, though you hadn't known it was <em>his</em> balcony at the time - you'd thought it was just a balcony he frequented. Just then your mind connected it; you realized that balcony from all those years ago was his.</p><p>"Unas," you said slowly, your eyes glazed over as genius struck you, "I know exactly where we'll set up shop."</p><p>After a quick run to your parents house to notify them you'd be staying at Unas' for the night, you began packing for the trip. Fortunately you wore mainly red and black clothes, which would be perfect for disguising yourself in the shaodws. Unas, on the other hand, wore white and brown clothes, and after noticing this, you leant him your own clothes which were a little small on him.</p><p>Half prepared to go, Unas hoisted the invention on his back, securing it with the linen. You kept the rope and hook in your bag, and the two of you snuck out his window, keeping low on the rooftops in an attempt to stay hidden. Somehow it worked, even though you were almost caught about five times. Those five times started up your heartbeat, racing in your chest as you got closer and closer to the palace, the guards becoming more numerous as you did.</p><p>Hiding away in the bushes, you watched as torchlight cast shadows on the walls, and soon guards made their round, disappearing down the side of the palace. Motioning silently to Unas, he moved forward, setting up his contraption by digging one end into the soft ground to stabilize it. Using your utmost concentration to not rustle the bush around you, you helped him set the hook in the linen, pulling it back as far as you could.</p><p>"Are you sure this is going to work? 'Cause if it doesn't, we're going to have to run like hell," you whispered to him, the linen stretched in your hands.</p><p>"We're about to see if it'll work," he answered, an answer that was not in the least comforting, but had a valid point. Taking a deep, shaky breath you pulled it back just a little more, pointing it upwards by angling down. Now on target, you closed your eyes, took another breath, and released.</p><p>"This has to be one of the most stupidest things I've done," you whispered, your eyes still clamped shut. A quiet clinking sound came from far above you, and Unas hit your shoulder, a soft gasp leaving him. Slowly you opened your eyes, following his gaze to the balcony, where a silver hook gleamed in the moonlight, safely attached to the railing and a rope dangling down from it.</p><p>"I can't believe it worked," he breathed out, still in utter shock.</p><p>"<em>You didn't think it would work</em>?" You hissed. "This was <em>your</em> idea!"</p><p>"No time for that, we need to climb now before the guards get back," he said, hiding the contraption in the bushes and rushing forward. You followed, gripping the rope tight as you climbed after him, the knots you'd previously made in the rope making the journey much easier.</p><p>"This is dumb," you muttered to yourself as anticipation plagued your anxious nerves, reminding you how badly Ahkmen would make fun of you for trying so hard to see him again.</p><p>Gripping the rope tighter you hauled yourself up, letting Unas situate himself before climbing over the railing yourself, brushing your clothes off as if they were dirty. Which, to be fair, after kneeling in the dirt for so long, they weren't exactly clean.</p><p>Inside Ahkmen's room, a single rushlight was lit at his bedside, giving the room a faint, yellow glow. Somehow undisturbed by the racket you and Unas made, Ahkmen lay sleeping in his bed, the covers strewn carelessly about his mostly-naked body, which you pointedly ignored. Unas stared without thought, only brought out of his little trance when you elbowed him.</p><p>"Don't stare," you told him. "That's weird."</p><p>"Not even half as weird as your horrible flirting tactics," he said, not bothering to look at you as he approached the bed.</p><p>"There's - okay, first off, no, and second off, this is a lot more stalker-ish than I originally anticipated," you said, careful to keep your voice down, inching forward as Unas slowly came to stand directly beside Ahkmen's bed.</p><p>Looking at you he picked up a large book which had been sitting at his bedside table, a furtive grin overtaking him as he lifted it above his head. Color draining from your face you rushed forward, <em>knowing</em> he was going to wake up the whole palace in the worst way possible, but before you could grab the book from him he slammed it down on the floor. A loud <em>clang</em> bounced around the room, startling Ahkmen awake, the silk sheets dripping down his skin like water as he sat up.</p><p>Eyes wide and panting, Ahkmen looked between the two of you, attempting to say something but nothing coming out.</p><p>"Unas!" He finally got out, his eyes still bulging in shock.</p><p>"Ahkmen!" Unas said, opening his arms with a wide smile. Laughing, Ahkmen stood from his bed, wrapping Unas up in a tight hug. Unas returned the sentiment with just as much enthusiasm, patting him on the back as they parted.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" Ahkmen said, still smiling brightly at the two of you.</p><p>"Unas missed you," you answered dully, your arms crossed as you watched the scene before you, a mild amusement clear on your face.</p><p>"Really? And you didn't?" He said, his voice low and teasing.</p><p>"No," you said.</p><p>"I don't have much time to be honest, I've got lessons in the morning and I haven't been studying," Unas said, something you didn't even know until then.</p><p>"You're taking lessons? What for?" You asked, feeling only a little betrayed that he hadn't told you, but patient for his answer.</p><p>"I'm going to be a scribe like my father," he answered, nodding his head with his hands on his hips.</p><p>"I feel you'd do better as an architect," Ahkmen said with a pat to Unas' shoulder. You hadn't thought of it before, but Unas <em>would</em> make a good architect - he had an eye for both design and technicality.</p><p>"Perhaps so, but a son always takes up his father's mantle."</p><p>"When I become Pharaoh, which I will," Ahkmen said, glancing to you as he wrapped an arm over Unas' shoulders, "I'll make you chief architect. How does that sound?"</p><p>"I - excellent, actually, if you were really going to become Pharaoh," Unas sputtered out, clearly flustered by both the contact and the idea of such a position belonging to him.</p><p>"Aren't you third in line for the throne?" You said with a chuckle, drawing nearer to the pair of them.</p><p>"Yes, but I <em>am</em> the favorite son, so I have that going for me."</p><p>"... right."</p><p>You tried to make the best of your short time with him, playing several games of Senet (Unas won each time) before you'd exhausted that, moving onto word games and other such things. Desperately you tried not to think about Unas leaving for the night, which would leave you alone with Ahkmen - the thought had crossed you that you could just leave with Unas, but Ahkmen had already brought that up and was adamant that you stayed. The idea of it alone wasn't horribly terrifying, but the remembrance that this would be the <em>first</em> occurrence of you spending time alone with him absolutely was. Ahkmen, sitting across from you, didn't look in the least bit anxious.</p><p>The three of you spent a good deal of time breaking into fits of laughter, and as you leaned back the cool of the pendant landed right below your neck, tensing you up and reminding you of the message he'd written. He had to have written it, you'd decided that a while ago, considering your name was on it. Fiddling with it, you engrossed yourself back into the conversation, putting the thought of that in the deepest corners of your head. You'd deal with it later.</p><p>"I think I'd best be going, now. At least now one of you can win at Senet," Unas said cheekily, winking at the two of you seated on the floor as he stood.</p><p>"Be safe, alright?" Ahkmen said quietly, smiling when Unas nodded.</p><p>"Of course. Also, I'll be picking up the launcher, you take the rope with you, got it?" He asked you, and you nodded your agreement. With that you bid your good byes, and he set off climbing down the rope, leaving you alone in the hazy light of Ahkmen's room.</p><p>"Is he always like that?" Ahkmen asked when he was assured Unas was gone.</p><p>"Like what?"</p><p>"You know, that good at playing games," he clarified.</p><p>"Ah," you said with a smile, leaning back. "Yes. Unas has always been one for puzzles and strategy games. Drives me insane, but you get used to it after a while."</p><p>"He's a little odd, but nice," he remarked, fiddling with his clothes as he avoided your eye.</p><p>An uncomfortable silence (at least for you) spanned over the next few minutes as the various games and messes you'd made were cleaned up. By the time you set the last pencil on his desk, he was sitting on his bed, legs dangling off the side as he watched you.</p><p>"You're still wearing the pendant," he noted quietly, gesturing to the necklace heavy on your skin. You looked down, fiddling with it again.</p><p>"Of course I am," you mumbled, instantly regretting the words when he perked up.</p><p>"I just - I thought you might throw it away," he said with a shrug.</p><p>"No... why would you think that?" You sat on the floor in front of you, looking up at him.</p><p><em>Anytime now and it'll be the perfect time to ask him about what it says</em>, you thought, almost tensing up imagining it. Just like the one you were having, that conversation would be horribly intimate and would probably screw up your image of who he was in your mind. Again. How many times had he changed in your head?</p><p>"I don't know, probably the fifteen hundred times you've told me you hate me? Might've been that," he said, laughing bitterly, fingers digging into his mattress till the knuckles whitened.</p><p>"I don't <em>really</em> hate you, I just -" exasperated you looked to him, trying to find a way to say what you meant without insinuating something. He met your gaze, looking almost hopeful for your next few words, only for you to disappoint him. "I dislike you."</p><p>"Yeah, I know," he mumbled, turning so he wouldn't have to look at you anymore. "Sorry for keeping you from leaving. You can go."</p><p>"Gold fish, I -"</p><p>"No, it's fine," he said, huffing as he hid under his covers.</p><p>"You always find a way to change who I think you are," you finally said, an admittance that he'd been on your mind - you'd thought of him. "Every time I think I've wrangled down who you are, figured out what makes you tick, you change it completely. I don't know if that's a talent or a flaw. Either way... good night."</p><p>You reached up behind your neck, untying the necklace and setting at his bedside table, within his clear eyeshot. As you made for the balcony, his sheets rustled behind you. He turned you around, necklace in hand and so close to you your face was almost touching his chest. Confused, you tried to ask him what he wanted, but he just put the pendant back around your neck, tying it and smoothing it out once he'd finished.</p><p>"It's yours. You can throw it away if you want," he said, almost venomous in a way you'd only seen in his father. Sometimes you forgot he was still a prince. He was still powerful, and he could still make you do whatever he wanted to. But he didn't - he went back to bed, turned his back to you, and let you leave.</p><p>You made down the rope, unhooked it (with a little trouble), and snuck back to Unas' house, where he sat at his desk studying. At his side were three rushlights, illuminating sharp shadows across his face, the ink of his pen scratching into the papyrus.</p><p>"How'd it go?" He asked without looking up.</p><p>"Oddly. We got in a fight but this time it wasn't just a stupid fight... I think I hurt his feelings."</p><p>"What did you say this time?"</p><p>"I said I dislike him."</p><p>"Oo, wrong choice of words," he exhaled sharply, wincing when he turned to look at you, flopped hopelessly over his bed.</p><p>"This must be the first time I've actually felt bad about hurting him. A year ago I would've been rejoicing," you grumbled, slapping your hand over your eyes as though to shield you from your horrible choices.</p><p>"That's probably because you actually like him now. I mean, you aren't admitting it, but you do. I'd go so far as to say, in complete and utter honesty, that you have a little crush on him."</p><p>You sat up, almost gagging at the thought.</p><p>"You can't be serious," you laughed, almost loud enough to wake his mother, but you knew to keep quiet.</p><p>"I am. I think you're actually making a big mistake, and you need to recognize that you genuinely like him," he said, and you knew he was telling the truth - not a hint of a smile. Sighing, you fell back down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.</p><p>"I'm <em>so</em> fucked."</p><p>"Your words, not mine, but precisely."</p><p>+</p><p>Unas visited Ahkmen several more times, but you did not join in. You were convinced that the less you saw of him, the more likely that your emotions for him (whatever they may be) would dissipate, and life would return to normal. The only problem was you didn't see him at all - you were forbade from doing that, and the idea that it was forbidden made you miss him all the more. It was indeed a very, very unfortunate predicament that had Unas laughing every time he saw you frowning or pouting.</p><p>"This is a serious issue, you know," you mumbled, wary of the many guests in the lower level of your house. Your mother had been feeling a little lonely, or at least that's what she told your father so he'd plan a small party. Unas' family was, of course, invited, along with one of your sister's friend's family. Teremun was annoyed that he couldn't invite his friends, but that was none of your business locked away in your bedroom, you and Unas sitting across from each other on the floor and avoiding everyone else.</p><p>"I'm fully aware of that, it doesn't make it any less funny," he wheezed out, unable to catch his breath.</p><p>"It's not that funny!"</p><p>"Oh I'm sorry, you not knowing you had a crush on Ahkmen <em>isn't</em> funny? We must live in different realms," he said as he shook his head, still grinning from ear to ear.</p><p>"I don't have a crush on him!" You snapped, your cheeks burning hot.</p><p>"You're <em>still</em> in denial?" His expression fell into unadulterated disbelief.</p><p>"Well... I just don't want you saying it out loud," you admitted sheepishly.</p><p>He looked at you, almost shocked at your ineptitude in the area of love, but somehow still supportive.</p><p>"We need to do something about this. You realize that, right?" He asked lowly, trying to meet your worrisome gaze.</p><p>"Yeah, but I have no idea how we're going to make me hate Goldie again."</p><p>"That - that is <em>not</em> the answer to this question, what the hell," he said, shaking his head again. "We're going to get you and Ahkmen together."</p><p>Your heart dropped in your chest. You were <em>not</em> going to be in a relationship with Ahkmen - it simply wasn’t an option. Besides the fact that you were still consciously in denial about even liking him, your families would be horrified in more ways than one. Ahkmen had pull as a prince, but his father was the Pharaoh, and his word was law, and the Pharaoh hated your father. There was no way either family would approve.</p><p>"Absolutely not. He's literally banned from seeing me again, and that's not even in the dating definition of that word," you said with a humorless laugh, rubbing your temples.</p><p>"That's what makes it more exciting."</p><p>You did not agree, but you didn't agree with Unas on several other things, so it wasn't a massive deal. He didn't have a point, that's what you kept telling yourself, repeating it over and over again in your head - his way was <em>not</em> the right way. Actually, it was more near suicidal. Neither of you even knew if Ahkmen liked you back, and even if he did, there was still the problem that you consciously kept circling back to hating him. You had strong emotions about him, and by Gods you were going to make sure it remained a strong hate, instead of the soft love sneaking into your head and lulling your hatred at bay.</p><p>All of your, Unas, and Ahkmen's ideas on the subject aside, you were still banned from seeing each other, and there was no way Unas could make you climb that rope again. You would have to be made to see him by your own family and his, and all three of you knew that would never happen again.</p><p>Except there was one thing Unas could do.</p><p>One horrible, devious thing, but he was known for being devious, and did not mind the title at all.</p><p>Within the next several weeks a popular festival would make its' way to Memphis; the Hathor festival. Much like the Tekh festival, the main theme was to get as drunk as possible and have as many orgasms as physically possible before passing out two hours before sunrise. Usually you spent the evening with Unas, wandering the streets and finding the best musicians and brewers the city had to offer. In fact you even made to do that - by afternoon you were walking to Unas' house, keeping your bag and coins close to you.</p><p>There was a thrill in the air, something that persisted throughout the city on the eve of every festival, just as it did then. Vendors more easily negotiated a price, eager to get home and prepare their own celebrations, some restaurants even letting their workers off early. For some reason, it wasn't complete catastrophe if no one worked during the festival, which you attributed to it being a bit of a free for all. Not particularly the safest environment for children, but things worked out alright, and Unas always brought backup in the form of weaponry.</p><p>Knocking at Unas' front door, you were greeted by his quiet sister, who you rarely ever saw, much like his father. You didn't get in a word before she was calling down Unas, who bounded down the stairs after catching sight of you. Dragging you inside, he pulled you upstairs and forced you into his room without a word.</p><p>"Unas? Everything alright?" You asked, feeling suspicious, but too amused by the secrecy of the situation to put any stock in it being a bad situation.</p><p>"Yes! Of course, here, I got you something," he said with a too-happy grin, handing you clothing wrapped in a brown package. Eyeing him oddly, you slowly unwrapped it, unveiling a black and red bundle of cloth. "Try it on, it's for tonight," he said.</p><p>"Don't we usually not dress up for this?" You asked, the suspicious feeling returning.</p><p>"Yeah, but I got invites to a pretty high up party," he said with a smirk, proud of his accomplishment.</p><p>"Fine," you gave in with a sigh. "I'll get changed, but I expect you to wear something just as frivolous."</p><p>"Don't worry, I will. Oh, and," he caught you before you left the room, "I'm blindfolding you on the way there. It's a surprise."</p><p>You frowned. "This is starting to sound like a bad idea."</p><p>It was, very much, a bad idea. Unas refused to take the blindfold off until the carriage stopped, the two of you had gotten out, and you were halfway up the steps. The amount of steps had you suspicious, but as he pulled the cloth from your eyes, it was all confirmed - he was taking you to the palace, the exact place the <em>both</em> of you had been banned from being. To make matters worse, you were actually looking forward to spending time with Unas, and he went and betrayed you.</p><p>"I'm going home," you said immediately, the cloth barely falling from your eyes before you could see the familiar pillars.</p><p>"No, you aren't! You're going to deal with this like an adult!" He said, chasing after you down the steps, grasping onto your upper arm and yanking you back up.</p><p>"We've been banned from the palace, in case you hadn't noticed! It's illegal for us to go in there!"</p><p>"Didn't bother you when we snuck in," he bit back.</p><p>"That was different and you know that."</p><p>"It doesn't matter anyway," he said, digging into his bag. "It's gonna be a massive orgy in there, no one will notice us, and masks are getting in to fashion." He pulled two masks out, one pitch black and the other stark white, handing the black one to you. Decorating your eyes with gems and silk, you tied the string behind your head, adjusting it on your nose. He did the same, correcting the accidental tilt in yours when he finished.</p><p>"You'll stay by my side, at least until we find him, right?" You asked shakily, trying to take a deep breath.</p><p>"Of course," he assured with a small smile, gripping your hand in his. The two of you took off up the stairs, him determined to stop your whining about Ahkmen, and you determined to do the exact same, but for a different reason.</p><p>The noise level grew with each step closer, become more and more defined, till you could pick out the loud moaners from the singers, the massive crowd in sight. As with most of the Pharaoh's parties, it was a no-invite event, meaning anyone could attend, and a good deal of people loved to take advantage of that. Your fingers tightened around Unas' hand, and he gave you a reaffirming smile - <em>we're not going to be caught by the Pharaoh.</em></p><p>"I mean, Pharaoh's probably drunk, right?" You said, anxiety lacing your tone.</p><p>"Exactly. He can't prove anything and we can run faster than he can. Just one thing -" he turned to you - "stay sober."</p><p>"Yes sir," you said with a salute, the two of you chuckling quietly as the tenseness in the air lessened.</p><p>There was no way anyone would notice you. Everyone was far too preoccupied with their and other people's genitals which might've been enjoyable had you been drunk enough to attend, but you were not, and neither was Unas, leaving you both an embarrassed mess by the time you reached the food tables. Several people were lounging in that general area, most having slow sex while eating food, which you and Unas pointedly ignored.</p><p>"Where do you think he is?" You whispered, unsure of why you were whispering, but Unas seemed to think it was the right thing to do as well.</p><p>"In the highest room in the tallest tower, you'll find a beautiful golden maiden," he whispered in a high, girly voice, batting his eyelashes. You elbowed him, making him wheeze and laugh.</p><p>"Thanks for that, idiot. Let's go find him and get this over with," you grumbled under your breath, dragging him away from the food and leading him up the stairs.</p><p>Your memory wasn't fantastic, and you'd only been led to Ahkmen's room once before, which was your main excuse for getting lost three times. Unas made fun of you, as a friend always does, but wasn't of much more help when it came to finding the right rooms. Several of them had been filled up with more people, and upon noticing that you started to knock before entering. Though, that tactic wasn't of much help either, because most people would just invite you in, thinking you were more patrons waiting for a good time.</p><p>When at last you came to stand in front of the familiar double doors, the both of you stopped - the journey had finally come to a close, and there was a strange sense of doom in the air.</p><p>"You'll do fine, I'm sure," Unas said, sounding as if he'd never been less sure in his life, eyes staring up at the tall doors.</p><p>"Yeah... sure," you agreed thoughtlessly, your voice a murmur.</p><p>"... so are you going to go in?" He asked slowly, turning to you expectantly.</p><p>"Hm? Oh, um.. yeah. Of course. I'll... what - what should I say?"</p><p>"Why are you asking me? This is <em>not</em> my area of expertise," he said, frowning.</p><p>"Well you're the one who brought me here! I thought you might have a better idea than I do," you hissed, every second that passed by feeding the fear growing rabid in your heart.</p><p>"I just thought you'd go in there and, I don't know, kiss him? This is why it's a bad idea to ask me."</p><p>"You have no idea what subtlety is, do you?"</p><p>"Don't be ridiculous," he said, knocking on the door. "I can be subtle."</p><p>"I can't think of a <em>single</em> time you've ever been subtle," you chuckled.</p><p>Silence came from the room, halting your conversation with Unas. Confused, the both of you pushed open the doors, finding the room empty and the lights out.</p><p>"Well fuck," he muttered under his breath, glancing to the balcony before helping you close the doors again.</p><p>"Looks like it wasn't meant to be! We should go," you said, tugging on Unas' sleeve to get him to leave, which he continuously refused to do.</p><p>"He has to be <em>somewhere</em> in the palace. Maybe he's at the party," Unas suggested, using his size and strength to drag you along.</p><p>"We'll never find him, there must be a thousand people in this place," you said as you weakly attempted to break his grasp on you.</p><p>"I'm not willing to watch you and Ahkmen mope about for one more day. I'm sick of it," he finally admitted with bitter words, making you stammer for an excuse. There was none, but you still tried, stumbling over your words as you tried to wrench his hand from yours.</p><p>"I do not mope," you said as you gave in, walking at his side.</p><p>"You most certainly do, you've been doing it for weeks now," he retorted, his eyes drifting over the dancing crowd once you reached the lower level. Reluctantly you assisted, checking the left side of the massive room while he checked the right.</p><p>In a second his grip loosened from yours and he bolted across the room, pushing careless people aside as he ran. Startled, you looked in his direction, but couldn't find him amongst the mass of people.<em> That idiot</em>, you thought bitterly as you set off in the general direction he'd taken. <em>He said he wouldn't leave my side.</em></p><p>Running against the flow of the populace, you almost ran head-long into several people, to which you quickly apologized and continued on your way. Fortunately for you, most people were drunk enough that they didn't mind. Unas wasn't horribly tall, but he didn't exactly blend into the crowd either, and you considered yourself blessed when you caught sight of his unruly hair. Before you could push your way to him, someone ran headfirst into you, your foreheads clanking painfully together, sending a wave of dull, throbbing pain through your skull.</p><p>"Oh, fuck!" You exclaimed instinctively, screwing your eyes shut and grasping your head where you'd been hit.</p><p>"Fuck, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to," the man said in a terribly familiar voice that grated against your nerves and softened your heart. Opening your eyes you looked at him, also sitting on the ground, golden robes pooling around him and a crown upon his head.</p><p>"Goldie, I... uh," you trailed off, your words leaving you as the two of you stared at each other, the trampling crowd not a thought in your heads.</p><p>Out of nowhere, Unas' hand reached for the back of Ahkmen's collar, yanking him backwards into the crowd. Stumbling to your feet you tried to find which direction they'd gone in, but to no avail - you were too short to see above the crowd. Nonetheless you continued in their general direction, weaving through dancers and passing at least two dozen naked people before you reached a wall.</p><p><em>Fuck's sake,</em> you thought, biting your lip as you turned back to the crowd. From your position you saw the stairs on the other side of the room, the only place in which the crowd thinned, and the only place you could easily see and sort through the various people. It was slow work, but you made your way to it, climbing up a carved statue of a lion and sitting atop the head, looking out over the gathering. Unlike with most of the Pharaoh's parties, it was dimly lit, making it harder to see who you might be fraternizing with. For you, all it worked to do was make your task of finding Ahkmen much, much harder.</p><p>Caught up in an almost grotesque scene of around ten naked people writhing over each other, you didn't notice someone flickering past you in the corner of your eye, at least not until they were grasping the back of your shirt and tugging you off the statue and up the stairs. You let out a yelp of surprise, trying to turn and see your abductor with fruitless results. Trying to keep your feet steady, you attempted to walk backwards to ease the pull they had on you, only slipping two or three times on the large staircase.</p><p>"This is illegal you know, abduction," you reminded them through gritted teeth, reaching back to dig at their fingers in hopes they'd release you.</p><p>Anxieties ran rampant through your head, reminding you of the many, horrible ways this person could violate and hurt you. As adrenaline rushed through you you dug harder into their fingers, hoping to puncture the skin and draw blood. A wince came from them, but not much else before they were tossing you into a dark, cramped storage room, following after you and closing the door.</p><p>At last you turned around, trying your damnedest to force your eyes to adjust in the dark to see your captor. Just as the edges of your vision returned to you, they surged forward, hands on either side of your face and kissed you. <em>Hard</em>. In a mesh of tongue and soft lips you tried to pull away, but they kept going deeper. You'd clenched your eyes, you noticed that as they continued to kiss you, and when you opened them you came face to face with very familiar eyes that fluttered open when he pulled away, gentle in a manner you rarely, if ever, saw.</p><p>"Gold -"</p><p>Once again you were cut off by him pulling you by the waist, colliding with you like stars, disastrous and beautiful and horrendously reverent. By his touch the fervor he felt passed to you, veins alighting with humble worship of each other, and in a moment Gods forsook you gave in. You let him touch you, let him explore each and every crevice, every imperfection and fracture, filling each mistake with a love that flowed slow and ardent in a golden light only he could cast. In one moment you let effervescence flow through you, and in the next you ripped yourself away from him. </p><p>"You can't just do that, you know," you said, panting as you parted. In the middle of it all, you'd wrapped your arms around his neck, which you quickly undid, letting your hands fall to your sides.</p><p>"I'm never going to see you again, so I thought I might as well," he said in the same bitter voice you'd last heard him with.</p><p>"Oh for fucks - I think I've finally narrowed down who you are," you laughed, shaking your head. He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "You're an idiot. You're a whole lot of other things, of other..." you drew closer, "... complicated things, but at heart you're an idiot, which is just about the best thing someone can be."</p><p>He paused, processing your words, trying to weed out of that was a compliment or an insult, or a backhanded compliment.</p><p>"Wow," you muttered when he still didn't seem to get it. Placing your hand at the back of his neck you pulled him close, pressing your lips to his in the way <em>you</em> liked to kiss - slow, gentle... tender. Like silk against your skin he moved with you, soft fingertips running over your jawline as he returned the kiss. Begging silently for more he moved you closer, wrapping you tight in his arms as you smiled against his lips, gifting smaller kisses down his neck till you reached his collar, returning to him when you did. A tiny hum left him, broken and sweet when you pressed your lips to his once more.</p><p>"I thought you hated me, I really did," he practically moaned the words, running his hands up your shirt, the cold touch of his hands shocking the heat from your bare skin.</p><p>"I did, to be fair," you said, which only garnered a confused look from him. "Unas had to knock some sense into me, but it didn't... didn't really take effect until just now."</p><p><em>"Just now</em>? You're meaning to say you didn't like me until <em>just now</em>?"</p><p>"I never claimed to be smart."</p><p>The two of you laughed, Ahkmen letting his head fall to your shoulder. Vibrations ran up your neck, and as you ran your fingers through his hair, his laughter calmed to a pleasant hum.</p><p>"You won't leave me, then?" He pleaded softly, his thumb rubbing circles into your waist.</p><p>"No. I won't leave you, Ahkmen."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading all this! I'm thinking about writing a short epilogue.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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